Under the Big Top: Works from the Collection

Featuring Alexander Nolan

May 15 – September 5, 2026

Under the Big Top features numerous circus themed artworks from ZAM’s permanent collection combined with the talent of Alexander Nolan, a contemporary painter based in Lubec, Maine.   

Alexander Nolan grew up in Delavan, Wisconsin, a town rich in circus history and the birthplace of the Barnum & Bailey Circus. The original International Clown Hall of Fame was started in Delavan before moving to Baraboo, Wisconsin. The artist’s circus cutouts were inspired by his childhood circus-viewing experiences. The paintings were created from memory and imagination, as well as his research into circus artifacts and imagery. The whimsical and nostalgic artworks were then meticulously cut from plywood and skillfully painted.  

Nolan’s paintings, paired with works from the Zillman Art Museum’s Permanent Collection, showcase an innovative approach to this thematic-based exhibition. The images of trained animals, contortionists and carnival workers from the Collection, depicted through diverse genres and media, explore the iconic motif of traveling extravaganzas. From Waldo Peirce’s Circus on the Move (1936) to Kristen Capp’s Stilt Man, Waterville, Washington (1995), this exhibition chronicles the spectacular. 

  • John Anthony Baldessari (American, 1931 – 2021). Rollercoaster, 1990. Photogravure. Bequest of Robert Venn Carr Jr., Class of 1938, 2004.9.4
  • Kristin Capp (American, born 1964). Stilt Man, Waterville, Washington, 1995. Archival pigment print. Gift of Eric Weber, 2019.18.3
  • Tom Dean (Canadian, born 1947). Ferris Wheel, 1999. Screenprint. Gift of Mr. Al Dow, 99.21.3
  • Lydia A. Harris (American, born 1961). Hendrie, 2010. Archival digital print. Museum purchase, 2011.15
  • Dahlov Ipcar (American, 1917 – 2017). Both works: Gift of Dahlov Ipcar in memory of Adolph Ipcar
    • Tigers and Horses, 2002. Lithograph. 2004.1.8
    • Zebra Mare and Foal, 1968. Woodcut. 2004.1.13
  • Yasuo Kuniyoshi (Japanese-American, 1889 – 1953). Circus Girl – No, 48, 1930. Lithograph. Gift of Downtown Gallery, NY, 51.9.G
  • Rolf Lukaschewski (German, born 1947) Both works: Gift of Robert Venn Carr Jr., Class of 1938
    • World of the Circus I, 1984. Color lithograph. 87.1.14
    • World of the Circus II, 1984. Color lithograph. 87.1.15
  • Reginald Marsh (American, 1898 – 1954)
    • Flying Concellos, 1936. Engraving. Gift of the Kenduskeag Fund, 59.32.G
    • Merry-Go-Round, 1938. Metal engraving. Gift of Adeline and Caroline Wing, 53.31.G
  • Waldo Peirce (American, 1884 – 1970). Circus on the Move, 1936. Lithograph. Gift of Jonathan W. Peirce, 72.29.G
  • Philip Platt (American, 1904 – 1970). Title unknown, 1940. Etching. Museum collection, 88.5.1.20
  • Robert Riggs (American, 1896 – 1970). Clown Alley, 1934. Lithograph. Gift of the Kenduskeag Fund, 56.21.G
  • Georges Rouault (French, 1871 – 1958) Cirque de L’etoile, 1934. Color aquatint and etching. Gift of Ernest Lowenstein, Roten Galleries, 65.29.G
  • Beth Van Hoesen (American, 1926 – 2010). Tattooed Man, 1966. Etching with roulette. Gift of the E. Mark Adams and Beth Van Hoesen Adams Trust, 2011.22.10
Yasuo Kuniyoshi print of a circus acrobat in black swinging through the air
YASUO KUNIYOSHI (Japanese-American, 1889 – 1953). Circus Girl – No 48, 1930. Lithograph. Gift of Downtown Gallery, NY, 51.9.G
Alexander Nolan painted panel of two horses pulling a wagon with a giraffe and trees in it
ALEXANDER NOLAN (American, born 1980). Giraffe Wagon, 2023. Oil on plywood. Courtesy of the artist.