Circus

by Bruce Davidson, Peter Boyer

One of the world's most influential photographers, Bruce Davidson, takes readers inside three midcentury big tops in images that are poetic, realistic and profound. He reveals not only the swiftly vanishing cultural phenomenon of the circus, but what might be called the eternal human circus. At a three-ring show in 1958 he climbed to the top of the tent to view the performances of the famous liontamer Clyde Beatty and human cannonball Hugo Zacchini. His deeper interest lay in the daily lives of circus performers and producers--the roustabouts and riggers, and the pretty girl who rode an elephant in what was called the "spec." He also made an intimate series of a dwarf clown. In 1965 at a huge multi-ring coliseum show, Davidson took a more critical look at performances under a steel-and-concrete environment; continuing behind the scenes, his vision became sharper and more surreal. And in 1967, Davidson caught the elegant exuberance of an Irish one-ring circus. He photographed the kinds of performances that are the essence of the medium, including a face-to-face encounter with an exceptional trapeze artist. Most of these pictures are published here for the first time.

Genres: Photography, Art

101 pages, Hardcover

First published June 10, 2007

About the author

Bruce Davidson (born September 5, 1933 in Oak Park, Illinois) is an American photographer. He has been a member of the Magnum Photos agency since 1958. His photographs, notably those taken in Harlem, New York City, have been widely exhibited and published.

Reviews

[Petalbooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like the ones of the little person the best. The one where he's sitting in a resto about to have a sandwich is this close to heartbreaking.

[Efthimis Papaefthimiou · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent edition...a photo book that everyone must read!