Le cirque (1889)

Valadon, Suzanne (1865-1938)

Le cirque (The Circus)
1889
Oil on fabric, 48.8 x 60 cm
Cleveland Museum of ArtCleveland

Besides being a prolific painter, Suzanne Valadon served as the model for Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec.

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. (CMA)