Oskar Althaus, oil painting 'The Circus Clown'

Artist: Oskar Althaus (1908 Frenkendorf, † 1965 Basel)

Title: The circus clown 

Technique: Oil on hardboard over wooden slats

Size: 66 x 57 cm, with frame 75 x 66 cm

Signature: Monogrammed lower left in the picture - OA

Frame: Framed in a wooden frame. The frame may present knocks and signs of wear. 

Oskar Althaus’s The Circus Clown is a deeply expressive and emotionally charged oil painting that transforms a familiar theatrical figure into a powerful symbol of the human condition. Far from the lighthearted, decorative portrayals typically associated with circus imagery, Althaus presents the clown with striking psychological depth, revealing the duality between performance and vulnerability.

Rendered in thick, textured strokes, the clown’s face emerges from a dramatic interplay of shadow and radiant color. The palette — a mixture of intense reds, deep blues, earthy browns, and flashes of stark white — captures both the vibrancy of the circus and the melancholy hidden beneath the painted smile. The expressive brushwork gives the portrait a sculptural quality, where every stroke conveys tension, emotion, and a sense of raw humanity.

The eyes are the focal point: large, somber, and filled with a quiet introspection that disarms the viewer. They stand in poignant contrast with the theatrical makeup and costume, creating a powerful impression that blends fragility, irony, and dignity. Althaus invites the viewer to look beyond the mask — to see the solitude, resilience, and inner drama of a performer whose public joy conceals private shadows.

The theatrical subject matter allows Althaus to exercise his bold expressionist language: simplified forms, forceful contours, and a composition charged with emotional energy. The result is a painting that resonates long after one steps away — a piece capable of commanding a room with its presence.

Oskar Althaus (1908–1965) was a Swiss painter born in Frenkendorf and later active in Basel. His early life was shaped by hardship, including the loss of his mother, after which he travelled across Switzerland and Europe as an artisan, absorbing diverse artistic influences.

In 1937, he settled in Basel to pursue formal artistic training, studying at the Allgemeine Gewerbeschule and under the Bernese painter Ernst Nyffenegger. Althaus developed a deeply expressionist visual language, drawing inspiration from artists such as Albert Müller, Hermann Scherer, and above all Georges Rouault, whose emotional intensity and spiritual depth left a profound mark on him.

Althaus was known for his rebellious, uncompromising character. He resisted the commercial art world, avoided gallery systems, and held firm to his artistic and moral convictions. His paintings, often raw and emotionally charged, reflect a sense of urgency and sincerity rarely encountered in mid-century Swiss art.

Though he exhibited in cities like Basel, Zurich, Bern, and Milan, he remained on the margins of mainstream movements. He died in his Basel studio at the age of 57, leaving behind a body of work that is today being rediscovered for its expressive power and authenticity.

Paintings by Oskar Althaus are relatively scarce on the market, increasing their desirability.

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