Death of Alexis Gruss, figure of the equestrian circus

Europe 1 with AFP // Photo credits: VALERY HACHE / POOL / AFP 4:10 p.m., April 6, 2024

Alexis Gruss, figure of the equestrian circus, died on Saturday "following a heart attack, at the age of 79", indicated his communications service. The patriarch of the company Alexis Gruss, whose origins date back to 1868, died in the morning at Saint-Joseph hospital in Paris, the same sources said. A religious ceremony will be celebrated in the Saint-Roch church, in Paris, Thursday April 11 at 9:30 a.m. The burial will take place in “strict family privacy”, further stipulates its communications service.

>> READ ALSO -

 At the Bouglione circus, wild animals replaced by 3D

Profound break in style with the circus

The Alexis Gruss company comes from "a couple formed in 1868 by the marriage between Charles Gruss, initially a stonemason, and Maria Martinetti, member of a family of squires and acrobats running their own big top since the 1850s", can we read on the company's website. The equestrian specificity of the family has been refined over time and, in the fourth generation, Alexis Gruss gave a new shine by creating the Cirque à l'Ancienne in 1974. This structure, launched with the actress Silvia Monfort, is considered major in the renovation of circus arts.

The Cirque à l'Ancienne "creates a profound break in style with the so-called traditional circus of the 1970s, in particular through the predominance of equestrian exercises", we can read on the website of the National Library of France (BnF). “By placing the horse at the very heart of the project, the Gruss (...) prefigure the Zingaro Equestrian Theater and the Centaure Theater, respectively created in 1986 and 1989,” develops the institution. The company recently celebrated 50 years of creations in Paris, under the name "Les Folies Gruss", with a show designed like a musical, bringing together 50 horses and 25 artists. 

Alexis Gruss "devoted his life to perpetuating the equestrian arts of the track through his teachings and transmission, inspiring entire generations", his company pays tribute to him. Alexis Gruss was born on April 23, 1944, in Bart (Doubs). His father, André, was the august “Dédé”, a clown in a white shirt and bowler hat. It was he who passed on the art of equestrian showmanship, music and horseback riding to her. Alexis Gruss became a circus director at the age of 27. A recognized master squire, he was also a saxophonist. The artist was distinguished Knight of Arts and Letters and Knight of the Legion of Honor.