Circus Comes to Town

The Circus Comes to Town

The circus is thought to have had its origin in ancient Rome. There the circus was an open-air stadium where chariot and horse races and other public exhibitions were held.

We all have childhood memories of going to the circus. As a young boy, I remember getting all excited to see on the news that the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus was coming to town. I remember the following day there was a wonderful parade with elephants, clowns, trapeze artists and lion tamers all heading to the Los Angles Convention Center right near Exposition Park. It was exciting for a young kid. The thought of traveling with a circus sounded like an adventure. Going into the big tent and smelling the popcorn, hearing the roars of lions and tigers, seeing the large elephants, walking on straw, the lights and the sounds was the magic.

In the book The Big Show—A History of the Circus by Felix Sutton, we see how the circus developed in the United States and trace the thread of its history into our present day circuses which are enjoyed by millions.

As early as 1785, when our country was in its infancy, there was a circus performance in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The show included horse tricks, clowns, rope walking, and juggling. In order to attract audiences and change its reputation from something frivolous and sinful (remember our Puritan beginnings), the circus added educational pageants: performers dressed as ancient Egyptians and acted out Bible stories and historical dramas. A man named John William Ricketts opened one of our country’s first circuses in 1793, and the Ricketts Circus was a big success. George Washington was one of Ricketts’s biggest fans and became a close friend, attending many of his circus shows.

In the mid-1800s P.T. Barnum, an amazing businessman, opened his first circus. Eventually, another circus owner named James A. Bailey joined him, and their business became known as “Barnum and Bailey, The Greatest Show on Earth.” One of their circus’s features was the sideshow, which became very popular around this time. People came to gawk at the fattest man on earth, giants, midgets, Siamese twins, and the oldest woman in the world, a (supposed) mermaid, and more. At the turn of the century, other prominent circus owners, the Ringling Brothers, bought Barnum and Bailey, The Greatest Show on Earth to form the enormous circus we know today.

In Europe, the circus is seen as a dignified art, and troupes travel worldwide—today’s version of yesteryear’s itinerant entertainers—performing very imaginative acts that combine dance, mime, acrobatics, juggling, and more. Cirque du Soleil and Cirque Éloize are two examples of creative, European-style circus troupes performing for people around the world. Audiences can also enjoy elaborate three-ring spectacles, such as the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus. Whether you enjoy spectacular animal acts and sequined tightrope walker spectacle or more theatrical productions, join the people who for millennia have appreciated circus acts around the world![1]

The Palos Verdes Art Center presents “The Circus Comes to Town,” a collection of images that were inspired by the magic of the circus. While on my quest to find the most interesting images by contemporary artists, I found some to be haunting, while others are filled with the magic of the circus. I would like to thank the wonderful artists who have traveled far and near for this exhibition:
Bill Concannon, Allan Conrad, Alan Cook’s International Puppets Collection, Jorg Dubin, Meg Escude, Carolyn Fernandez, Jim Jenkins, Phil Joanou, Steve Krynicki, Dorothy Magallon, Jackee Marks, Ralph Massey,Tom Miller, Grant Olsen, Pam Reid, Mayuka Thais and Lawrence Wallin.

The exhibition program would like to thank the Palos Verdes Art Center Board of Directors, Art Center members and the Exhibitions Committee for their continued vision and commitment to the arts in Southern California and graphic designer Christine Barnicki for her creative design on the invitation and catalogue.


Scott Canty
Director of Exhibitions
Palos Verdes Art Center



[1] The Big Show—A History of the Circus by Felix Sutton, Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1971