1889
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
The Circus is a 1889 unspecified by Suzanne Valadon, a Impressionism work, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
You see a small, busy scene: acrobats, horses, and clowns under a striped tent. This painting is unusual because experts argue over who made it. Some say it’s by Suzanne Valadon, but others disagree. If it *is* hers, it’s one of her earliest works—before she found her style. She never went to art school, yet she painted for years. To see how her work changed later, look up artist: Suzanne Valadon (French, 1865–1938).
The attribution of this painting to Suzanne Valadon has been rejected by several authorities. Others support the attribution, arguing that the painting is merely atypical because it is an early work, signed and dated 1889. Valadon did not begin to develop her mature style until 1891.She was the mother of artist Maurice Utrillo and a prolific painter herself, although she never received any formal artistic training.
Besides being a prolific painter, Suzanne Valdon served as the model for Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec.
Read the full account in the museum source.
Marie-Clémentine "Suzanne" Valadon (French pronunciation: ; 23 September 1865 – 7 April 1938) was a French painter who was born at Bessines-sur-Gartempe, Haute-Vienne, France.
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