Figure of the French equestrian circus, Alexis Gruss died on Saturday April 6 of a heart attack at the age of 79, his family announced in a press release. He notably founded the Cirque à l’Ancienne in 1974.
Trapeze artist, saxophonist, clown, and of course master squire, Alexis Gruss died on Saturday April 6 at the age of 79, following a “cardiac accident” in Paris, his family announced in a press release, reports Le Figaro. “It is with immense pain and sadness that the Gruss family announces the death today, Saturday April 6, 2024, at 9:40 a.m., of Mr. Alexis Gruss, following a heart attack at the age of 79” , we can read. In this press release, several members of his family, from his wife Gipsy Gruss to his brother, including his children, all paid tribute to the one who was a “pillar” and a “master of the equestrian arts”. “He was much more than a man of talent (…) whose imprint will remain forever engraved in our hearts,” they greeted.
Fifty years of career
Considered the master of the equestrian circus, Alexis Gruss founded the Cirque à l’Ancienne in 1974 in the company of the actress Silvia Monfort, then considered major in his renovation of the circus arts. The Cirque à l’Ancienne “creates a profound break in style with the so-called traditional circus of the 1970s, notably through the predominance of equestrian exercises”, we can read on the website of the National Library of France (BnF). A master in his field, the company he directed had recently celebrated its fiftieth anniversary in Paris under the name “Les Folies Gruss”. On this occasion, a show worthy of one of a musical comedy was presented, bringing together 50 horses and 25 artists on stage.
In an interview given to our colleagues from Le Figaro in October 2023, Alexis Gruss returned to his passion which had driven him for fifty years. “I remember an outstretched hand. That of Silvia Montfort who presented an exhibition on the circus at Carré Thorigny in the spring of 1974. (…) The initial contract was for fifteen days. Ultimately, we stayed at Carré Thorigny for ten years! “, he explained. Decorated numerous times, he notably won the National Circus Grand Prize from the Ministry of Culture. Made a Knight of the Legion of Honor and Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters, he was also the creator of the Circus Biennale in 1995 in Lyon.