Hommage aux éléphants de cirque

To mark the 40th anniversary of the Monte-Carlo International Festival of Circus Arts, Rolf Knie presented a sculpture as a tribute to circus elephants. Officially unveiled on 19 January 2016, the work was installed in the gardens of the Chapiteau de Fontvieille, at a ceremony attended by H.S.H. Princess Stéphanie, President of the Festival. There could surely no better choice than the Swiss artist Adolf Knie to create a sculpture in recognition of the animals that have accompanied the long family tradition. The Knie Circus was founded in 1803 by Friedrich Knie, and the elephant has been the emblem of the Swiss company since the 1920s.
Specialists in animal taming and training, in 2015 the Knies made a decision to stop using elephants in their performance for good. The animals were retired to the Rapperswil-Jona zoo in Switzerland, established by the Knie Circus in 1962.

Rolf Knie, born on 16 August 1949 in Bern, is a Swiss painter, artist, and actor. He is the son of Fred Knie Senior, artistic director of the Knie Circus. The company is today led by his brother, Fred Knie Junior. Working in the family business, Rolf spent his childhood with the circus and toured Switzerland regularly. He made his first appearance in the ring as a clown at the age of five. In 1973, he embarked on a collaboration with Gaston Häni and launched his career as a clown.
In 1977, he formed a theatre company and ended his circus career in 1984 to devote himself to the stage. Though he continued acting into the 1990s, Rolf is also a gifted painter and sculptor. His colorful figurative creations usually represent circus scenes, animals, acrobats, and clowns. In 2020, he directed a musical telling the story of the century-old Swiss circus tradition