The inherited image is withheld while its reuse rights are checked. The correctly attributed August Macke work is documented by Museum Frieder Burda.
by Tom Gurney
Tom Gurney BSc (Hons) is an art history expert with over 20 years experience
Published on June 19, 2020 / Updated on October 17, 2026
Email: tomgurney1@gmail.com / Phone: +44 7429 011000
An August Macke work in Marc’s circle
This page was previously labelled as a Franz Marc painting. The image is August Macke’s Kleiner Zoologischer Garten in Braun und Gelb (Small Zoological Garden in Brown and Yellow), made in 1912. The Museum Frieder Burda identifies Macke as the artist and records the work as oil on canvas, 47 × 67.3 cm. The Franz Marc Museum also names Macke in its presentation of the painting. The old attribution to Marc and the interpretation built around his supposed visit to a zoo were incorrect. [1] [2]
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Watch on YouTubeWhat the picture shows
The compact horizontal scene brings people, trees and animals close together. Dark trunks and branches frame the upper part of the picture, while overlapping figures occupy the foreground. A brightly coloured bird appears at the right. Macke uses broad areas of brown, yellow, red and green, so the visitors and the zoo setting seem to share one compressed space. This is a description of the visible image; it does not identify any figure as the artist or establish what he thought about zoos. [1]
Both Macke and Marc belonged to the circle of German Expressionist artists associated with Der Blaue Reiter, but their connection does not make their works interchangeable. In its 2025 exhibition Modernism at the Zoo, the Franz Marc Museum used Macke’s picture to discuss the zoo as a subject for modern artists and credited the work to the Museum Frieder Burda in Baden-Baden. The owning museum's title and object details give this page a dependable attribution. [2] [1]
The inherited address remains here so existing links still reach the correction. It is not included in the Franz Marc artwork catalogue. The old small image is withheld locally while its source and reuse rights are reviewed; this correction does not clear that file for publication or establish a licence for a replacement. For Franz Marc’s verified animal pictures, use the linked artwork pages below.
Artwork Directory
This source-checked selection contains 192 identified works and print designs from the current Franz Marc research set. It is a curated selection, not a complete catalogue raisonné. Some works link to their article here; others link to a collection record. Unresolved identifications are omitted.
Discussion
This zoo painting is by August Macke; the inherited Franz Marc attribution was incorrect.
Reader Insights
Observation
Which figures, animals and colour shapes structure the compact scene?
Comparison
How does Macke’s zoo setting differ from a verified Franz Marc animal painting?
Interpretation
What can the museum record establish about the work beyond what the image shows?
Join the Conversation
What detail or source helped you distinguish this work? Share a close observation or a verifiable object record.
References
- Museum Frieder Burda collection presentation. View source.
- Franz Marc Museum, Modernism at the Zoo. View source.
- Inherited image (withheld): August Macke, Small Zoological Garden in Brown and Yellow, 1912, oil on canvas, 47 × 67.3 cm. Museum Frieder Burda, Baden-Baden. The inherited file’s exact source and reuse rights remain unverified. Object record.