Two Clowns
Kuhn, Walt, American painter, 1877-1949
1940
oil on Masonite (TM)
Gift of Johannes R. and Betty P. Krahmer, 2005

The two surly clowns return your gaze warily. Though pictured in full costume and make-up, these men are not performing. They are not in character and they are not happy to see you. You've interrupted a conversation backstage, and you're not being invited to join in.

This is the powerful impression conveyed by Walt Kuhn's Two Clowns, a small but sensational painting revently given to the Delaware Art Museum by Hans and Betty Krahmer. Born William Kuhn in Brooklyn, New York, Kuhn worked as a painter and illustrator. He was instrumental in organizing The International Exhibition of Modern Art in 1913, better known as the Armory Show, which introduced modern European art to American viewers.

A creator of vaudeville productions, as a painter Kuhn is best known for his intimate portrayals of circus and vaudeville performers. His clowns are hardened, road -weary professionals, who live their lives on the borders of mainstream society. The circus captivated European avant-garde painters including Pablo Picasso in the early 20th century, and clowns came to symbolize the marginalized bohemian world of modern artists and performers. The bright primary colors and dark outlines Kuhn uses also betray the influence of modern artists such as Henri Matisse, The painter's use of such harsh and contrasting colors intensifies the charged atmosphere of the painting, calling to mind a flash photograph.

An important acquisition, Two Clowns fills a void in the Delaware Art Museum's excellent collection of early 20th century art, bridging a gap between the Ashcan School realism of John Sloan and the abstract art created under the influence of European modernism.

The Krahmers acquired the painting in 1985. "Giving a work of art with which you have lived for so long a time is a very personal experience" says Betty Krahmer, "and we are pleased to donate the work to the Museum in recognition of its growing importance in our community."