Two Clowns
Artist
John Gutmann
(American, born Germany, 1905 - 1998)
Date1939
MediumGelatin silver print
DimensionsImage: 9 3/4 x 7 1/4 inches (24.77 x 18.42 cm)
Framed: 21 3/4 x 17 3/4 inches (55.25 x 45.09 cm)
Framed: 21 3/4 x 17 3/4 inches (55.25 x 45.09 cm)
Credit LineGift of Hallmark Cards, Inc.
Object number2005.27.4010
InscribedTitled/Dated
"Two Midget Clowns 1939"
Verso, LL
in pencil
Signature
Signed in artist's hand
Front of Mount, LL
In pencil
On View
Not on viewCollections
Terms
John Gutmann, who arrived in San Francisco from his native Germany in 1933, was fascinated by the dynamism of American culture, producing a body of work that interweaves documentary and Surrealist inclinations. Influenced by the avant-garde artistic circles in Berlin, Gutmann was interested in depicting “the almost bizarre, exotic qualities” of his newly adopted country. Infiltrating the closed and unusual world of circus life, here Gutmann depicts a moment of friendship between two clowns, one in performance attire and one in street clothes.
Copyright© Center for Creative Photography, Arizona Board of Regents
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