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The circus is a tiny closed off area of forgetfulness. |
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 As a child in New Jersey, Alexander Calder played with a toy Humpty Dumpty Circus.He grew up and received a degree in mechanical engineering in 1919, then enrolled in the Arts Students League of New York in 1923. While there he visited the Ringling circus in Madison Square Garden over two weeks, and made many whimsical drawings.  He created his own version of a toy circus, and took it to Paris where he frequented Cirque Médrano. He expanded his miniature circus using wire, wine corks, and cloth scraps. He put on shows for artists, a circus clown, and others, using 50 human and animal 6" performers. The Paris press called him the "Impresario of The Smallest Circus in the World." Eventually he began to go back and forth between New York and Paris with five suitcases full of his circus. He passed a hat or sold tickets to his shows, but in 1927 took a job with a toy company to secure an income. He continued to perform in Paris. |
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| Calder became a renowned artist of huge mobiles and sculptures, but he revived his tiny circus in 1955 to preserve it for us. |
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Witness the Smallest Circus in the World! |
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5 minutes Not great quality. |
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10 minutes |
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26 minutes |
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