The exhibition “The Enchanted Circle,” to be discovered at the Masséna Museum, invites you to explore the fabulous history of the Circus, from its birth in the 18th century to the present day, through the works and documents from the private collection of Dr. Alain Frère.
The exhibition will take you on a journey to the Wild West with Buffalo Bill, a historical figure and a precursor of the traveling “show” of the American West in Europe.
Visitors will be able to discover, whether on the track or behind the scenes, clowns, trapeze artists, tightrope walkers, trainers, jugglers, and horsemen through costumes, documents, objects, and accessories related to a history or a life on stage.
The circus has inspired great artists such as Francisco de Goya, Toulouse Lautrec, Marc Chagall, Pablo Picasso, Victor Vasarely, Albert Chubac, all fascinated by this great popular spectacle, with the masterpieces naturally taking their place alongside talented French poster artists such as Jules Chéret, Pal, Florit, Gustave Soury, or Antonin Magne.
This circus, thanks to the great families of Amar, Bouglione, Gruss, or Zavatta performing in Nice and on the Côte d’Azur, is honored at the International Circus Festival of Monte-Carlo under the Fontvieille big top, a global reference in the circus arts for over 40 years. A 35-minute film featuring the greatest acts awarded a Golden Clown is specially created for the exhibition.
