Germany, 20th century / 1909
Wrestlers in a Circus
The Cleveland Museum of Art catalogs Wrestlers in a Circus as painting (Germany, 20th century · 1909).
During the 1930s, 639 works by Kirchner were removed from German museums and either destroyed or sold to foreign collectors and museums. The year after the Nazis organized the Degenerate Art exhibition in Munich, Kirchner committed suicide.
A CLOSER LOOK
The museum identifies this painting as oil on canvas and credits Ernst Ludwig Kirchner (German, 1880–1938).
The museum's collection notes: Locked in a dangerous embrace, beefy wrestlers writhe on a brightly colored mat. Famous for his scenes of urban life, Kirchner uses loose brushstrokes to capture the blur of bodies in motion. Imagine watching this intense match, surrounded by screaming spectators.
FOLLOW THE EVIDENCE
The Cleveland Museum of ArtWrestlers in a CircusOriginal explanation based on the sources above. Images carry their own reuse terms.