TOHU - The Jacob-William Collection

Ministère de la Culture, des Communications et de la Condition féminine

This unique collection is the result of twenty years of loving work by Pascal Jacob and Christian William, two European collectors with a passion for the circus. Both are active in the circus community, and they were excited to hear about the La TOHU project. They approached the organization with an offer to make their remarkable collection available to a wider public.

To date, there are more than 12,000 items in the collection, historical and modern artifacts including programs, posters, engravings, photographs, drawings, paintings and sculptures. You can view some 2,500 documents from the 16^th century to our own day, now held in the Documentation Centre at the National Circus School. The Jacob-William collection is still growing.

Beyond its purely aesthetic function, the Jacob-William collection is intended primarily as a documentatary resource. Focusing on diversity, the collectors want to preserve at least one of each type of document as a testimonial to the history of the circus across time. In this way, they hope to position contemporary circus as the grandchild of a long and glorious tradition.

As the sole depository of the Jacob-William collection, La TOHU now has the means to bring circus to a wider audience. Accessible and fun, the collection is both a record of the circus's past and an active educational tool, displayed to full advantage in the exhibits mounted at La TOHU and other spaces around the world.

Visit the Fabulous Story of the Circus

TRAVELLING EXHIBITS

La TOHU wants to help make the circus arts better known and loved in even wider circles, and so it has organized a number of travelling exhibits featuring artworks from the Fonds Jacob-William. This is the chance to transform your space into a circus happening – at least, for the length of an exhibit.

Information:

Nathalie Hébert
Programming Agent - Circus
Phone: 514 374-3522, ext. 2232
E-mail: nathalie.hebert@tohu.ca

BÊTES DE CIRQUE (CIRCUS ANIMALS) Exhibit

Since the dawn of time, most civilizations have tamed millions of living creatures and put them on exhibitition. The circus was no exception to the rule, and its promoters quickly learned how they could profit from presenting exotic animals in the ring. The catalogue of Bêtes de Cirque (Circus Animals) is endless: from beaver to ostrich, from chimpanzee to kangaroo, from antelope to flea, few animals have escaped the great game of exhibition and many have also been subjected to training. The 19th century gave rise to a change in the concept of the circus show and a new type of “circus animal”. We are left with an extraordinarily colourful and spectacular testimony on paper from an age gone by when, for many people, the way to make making contact with the world was to join the circus...

Available works

PARADES Exhibit

At the circus, things often begin with a parade. Going out on parade is a simple way of bringing luck, and means everything is ready for the show. This exhibit presents a sweeping history of the parade from the 18th century to the present day. Whether at a funfair or a military parade ground, in the ring or on the street, at the circus or the running of the bulls, a parade always plays a liberating role. As soon as it begins, it says the time for hesitation is past and bad fortune will be kept at bay.

Available works

NÉS À NEZ Exhibit

The number one skill of the Auguste clown is clumsiness. “Auguste” comes from Berlin slang for “idiot”, and that early circus audience had no idea, when they called out “Auguste” to that first clumsy performer, of the legacy their insults were creating. This grotesque character is always paired with someone who, in contrast to the Auguste’s awkwardness, exaggerated makeup and poorly fitting clothes, affects superior authority and wears a sparkling costume: the whiteface. With the eloquence pictures alone can offer, Nés à nez speaks volumes through rare works of 20th century photographers and artists as they explore the personality of the Auguste with their simple, accessible and detailed art.

Available works

CIRQUE EN FRESQUE Exhibit (large size posters)

Circus posters or "bills" were often printed in larger-than-life formats in an attempt to communicate all the exuberance of the show and entice the greatest number of people into the tent. With their colourful drawings of fabulous creatures and never-before-seen feats of acrobatic skill, they were the circus's first and best marketing tool. This exhibit features some of the oversized one-sheet show posters that were once a staple of commercial offset printing and engraving. "Bigger and better than ever..."

Available works