100-year-old circus banners ready for their debut

One of the singular joys that art museums can produce are when a special piece, work or exhibition, thought to be lost to the wind whipped demands of time and the elements, is fully restored and presented to the general public.

On Nov. 7 through March 29, the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art will present such a work rescued from the often-unforgiving clutches of time and poor treatment. Four massive banners (measuring 9’ x 9.5’) crafted by Belgian designer Frans De Vos will be displayed in their rejuvenated grandeur. And, of course with its steep scholarship and expertise in the art and history of the circus, the banners depict various circus attractions amongst the European pastoral countryside.

With the four banners dating from circa 1900, the Ringling’s acquisition in 1989 and restoration of the set over a period of seven years (from 2005 to 2012) shows the importance of the circus to the institution and modern western culture. “The banners speak to how the circus is a global institution,” says Deborah Walk, Tibbals curator of the Circus Museum. “It is an example of the old and the new.”

A team of volunteers and conservators put the final touches on the banners, letting them relax structurally before being hung on the wall before their grand debut. A menagerie of characters and art lovers is actively protecting the legacy of De Vos’ work and his own equally colorful crew depicted in the banners.

The original condition of the banners, used during their functional lifetime as circus advertisements from town to town, was especially dilapidated. Marks, tears, layers of dirt, an assortment of stains and patches were repaired or removed to return the banners to a semblance of their former glory.

“It’s remarkable to have four of these banners together,” says Barbara Ramsay, chief conservator of the Ringling who led the restoration project. “We’ve been able to condition the banners so as they appear closest to their original state without looking too new. It’s just further proof that things happen at the museum.”