Name/Title
Hondius, Gerrit (1891-1970) "One Ring Circus"Entry/Object ID
2025.900.FA18175Tags
Oil PaintingDescription
In circular composition, we behold a miniature world. Three glamorous horseback performers; a clown and his costumed dog at lower left; a crowd of spectators beholding the action: all orbit around a circular red carpet. At right is an ambiguous figure that may be a clown, dwarf, or even the show's impresario. Hondius, like many other modernist painters, was fascinated by circuses for their picturesque qualities, and perhaps more so for the marginal lives gathered under a tent.Collection
Mt. Morris TB Hospital FAP CollectionCataloged By
Hondius, GerritCondition
Overall Condition
GoodDate Examined
Jul 26, 2025Notes
1+ cracks lower right middle/lower center/lower left center, 1 chip lower left corner, stains bottom middleRecommendations
might require cleaningProvenance
Provenance Detail
Created under the Works Progress Administration’s Federal Art Project (1930s–1940s), this collection of easel paintings was originally installed at the Mount Morris Tuberculosis Sanitorium in Livingston County, New York. Following the sanitorium’s closure in 1970, the artworks were abandoned and remained in storage until their rediscovery decades later. Now preserved and exhibited by the Genesee Valley Council on the Arts (GVCA), the collection is housed at the New Deal Museum in Mount Morris. Current efforts include digitization, high-resolution photography, and the creation of an online archive to ensure long-term public access and research availability.General Notes
Note Type
Cataloging NoteNote
See the entry titled 'New Deal Collection' for supporting documents, and general historic and research information.
