Accession Number
2011/2.161

Title
Harlequin

Artist(s)
Lucien Clergue

Artist Nationality
French (culture or style)

Object Creation Date
1955; printed 2006

Medium & Support
gelatin silver print on paper

Dimensions
9 1/2 in x 11 3/8 in (24.13 cm x 28.89 cm);12 in x 16 in (30.48 cm x 40.64 cm)

Credit Line
Gift of Selma and Gerald Lotenberg

Subject matter
Clergue's series Les Saltimbanques (1955) was inspired by Alain Fournier’s Le Grand Meaulnes and Picasso’s Rose Period. This was one of Clergue's earliest series, in which he created the costumes and dressed children as harlequins, photographing them among the ruins of Arles in the aftermath of bombings from World War II. 

Physical Description
This portrait of a young boy in a harlequin costume shows him looking into the camera lens. He stands in the ruins of Arles, arms akimbo, balancing on the ruins of the foundation of a building. 

Primary Object Classification
Photograph

Collection Area
Photography

Rights
If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit http://umma.umich.edu/request-image for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.

Keywords
boys
children (people by age group)
daylighting
harlequins (performing artists)
portraits
ruins