The Circus Parade

Title: La Parade au Cirque

The Circus Parade

Date: 1980

Medium: Original lithograph in colours on Velin Arches paper

Signed in pencil lower right

Publisher’s blindstamp lower left

Edition: 48/50

Printer and Publisher: Mourlot Frères, Paris

Size:

Image 43.2 × 33 cm

Full sheet 24 3/8 × 18 7/8 inches

References:

Sorlier 969, reproduced page 40

Provenance:

HW Gallery, Naples, Florida

Private Collection, Ontario

Hegel Fine Art Auction, 25 October 2018, Lot 105

Private Collection, Vancouver, Canada

Condition:

Some time staining on the margins, generally in very good condition

La Parade au Cirque presents one of Chagall’s most beloved themes: the circus. A central performer rides a vivid red animal while acrobats, musicians and spectators animate the surrounding space. The figures float and twist within a dreamlike composition, set against a vibrant and theatrical backdrop.

The red of the animal anchors the composition, drawing the eye immediately to the heart of the spectacle. Around it, Chagall orchestrates colour with musical sensitivity. Blues, greens and warm tones interact fluidly, creating a sense of movement and emotional uplift.

The circus for Chagall was never mere entertainment. It symbolised performance, poetry, vulnerability and joy. Here, he captures both its exuberance and its fragile magic.

The circus occupied a central place in Chagall’s imagination throughout his life. From his early Paris years before the First World War through to his late career, circus imagery served as a metaphor for the human condition. Performers exist between worlds, balancing risk and grace, spectacle and solitude.

In this late lithograph from 1980, Chagall returns once more to this poetic universe. The rider atop the red animal suggests mastery and harmony while the surrounding performers echo the rhythm of music and celebration. The composition carries an undertone of nostalgia, as if recalling a lifetime of memory through colour.

By 1980 Chagall was in his nineties and internationally celebrated. Rather than diminishing in vision, his late works often display heightened chromatic intensity and lyrical freedom.

During this period he continued producing major lithographic suites in collaboration with Mourlot in Paris. Mourlot Frères had worked with him for decades, refining techniques that allowed Chagall’s painterly colour to translate beautifully into print.

The late circus works demonstrate continuity with earlier masterpieces such as Le Cirque series and various painted circus scenes from the 1950s and 1960s. They reflect a lifelong devotion to theatre, folklore and dream imagery.

In the late 1970s and early 1980s Chagall produced:

– Late biblical and spiritual lithographs

– Further circus compositions

– Poetic studies of lovers and musicians

– Vibrant works exploring memory and imagination

The circus theme remained a thread linking his early Parisian modernism to his final years.

Chagall’s late career coincided with renewed global appreciation of twentieth century modern masters. His imagery stood apart from minimalist and conceptual movements dominant at the time. Instead he affirmed narrative, colour and emotional storytelling.

The circus became a universal symbol of shared humanity. It transcended geography and language, resonating with audiences worldwide.

Printed by Mourlot Frères on Velin Arches paper, this lithograph demonstrates exceptional clarity of colour layering. Mourlot’s workshop was renowned for translating Chagall’s painterly luminosity into lithographic form.

The small edition of only 50 impressions significantly enhances its rarity within Chagall’s graphic output.

Late lithographs such as La Parade au Cirque confirm Chagall’s enduring commitment to imagination and expressive colour. They form an important chapter in his printmaking legacy and reinforce his status as one of the great lyrical voices of modern art.

With an edition of only 50 and strong provenance history, this work represents a highly desirable late Chagall lithograph.

Collectors are drawn to circus subjects for their emotional warmth, visual vibrancy and symbolic richness. The restrained edition size distinguishes this example from larger commercial lithographs produced during the same era.

It offers strong visual presence, poetic narrative and long-term desirability within the market for authenticated, signed Chagall works.