abstracted image of adults riding on a merry-go-round with two children in LLC watching; woman in front riding on boar; two couples seated in a round seat at left

%C2%A9 Artists Rights Society %28ARS%29%2C New York %2F VG Bild-Kunst%2C Bonn

Das Karussell (Merry-Go-Round), plate 7 from "Jahrmarkt", 1921 (published 1922)

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Gift of George McKay Reidexpand_more  2012.103

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In his seminal "Jahrmarkt" portfolio, Beckmann imagines the world as a carnival bursting with an eclectic cast of characters, among them many friends and acquaintances of the artist. He cleverly portrays himself in the first plate of the series as carnival barker, beckoning viewers to enter and behold his curious world of outsiders and misfits. For the print Merry-Go-Round, one of ten drypoints composing the series, he uses the image of a crowded carousel as an apt metaphor for the apparent aimlessness of life. Beckmann completed part of the "Jahrmarkt" series while traveling in Austria where he visited the Vienna Prater, a permanent amusement park founded in the 18th century.

Details
Title
Das Karussell (Merry-Go-Round), plate 7 from "Jahrmarkt"
Artist Life
1884–1950
Role
Artist
Accession Number
2012.103
Provenance
George McKay Reid, Minneapolis, Minn. (until 2012; given to MIA)
Catalogue Raisonne
Hofmaier 197 IIBb; Glaser 171; Gallwitz 169
Curator Approved

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abstracted image of adults riding on a merry-go-round with two children in LLC watching; woman in front riding on boar; two couples seated in a round seat at left

© Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn

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