Alexis Gruss, the king of the equestrian circus, is dead

He was the soul and patriarch of the Gruss circus. A distinguished squire but also a polymorphous acrobat, capable of aerobatics and clowning, Alexis Gruss died on the morning of April 6 at Saint-Joseph hospital in Paris. In a press release, the family paid tribute to him: “It is with immense pain and sadness that the Grüss family announces the death today, Saturday April 6, 2024, at 9:40 a.m., of Mr. Alexis Jacques André Grüss, following an accident heart disease, at the age of 79. Alexis Gruss was much more than a man of talent; he was a pillar, a master of the equestrian arts, of spectacle, whose imprint will remain forever engraved in our hearts. He dedicated his life to perpetuating the equestrian arts of the track through his teachings and transmission, inspiring entire generations. The foundations of his life were until the end, his family, the horses, the track.

This moving text is signed by all the members of this great circus family: Madame Gispy Gruss née Bouglione, her wife, Monsieur Patrick Gruss, her brother, Stephan, Firmin and Maud, her children and their spouses, Charles, Alexandre, Louis, Joseph , Jeanne, Célestine, Gloria and Venecia, her grandchildren and their spouses, as well as Oscar and Tristan, her great-grandchildren.

The religious ceremony will be celebrated in the Saint Roch church in Paris (1st), on Thursday April 11 at 9:30 a.m.

A few months ago Alexis Gruss agreed to speak with Le Figaro. He particularly remembered a great spectacle, fifty years ago, symbol of his inextinguishable passion: “I remember an outstretched hand. That of Silvia Monfort, who presented an exhibition on the circus in the spring of 1974 at Carré Thorigny, a cultural center in the City of Paris, opposite the current Picasso Museum. She offered us the possibility of extending it with a show. There were six of us, with my father, my wife, my sister, my brother and my sister-in-law. With an elephant, two horses and four ponies. I haven't forgotten the track either, a circle thirteen meters in diameter assembled 250 years ago and which we still use. The initial contract was for fifteen days. Ultimately, we stayed at Carré Thorigny for ten years!”

Philosopher as much as man of action Alexis Gruss made this quote from Mahler his own: “Tradition is not the cult of ashes, but the preservation of fire”. This is how he interpreted it. Tireless, she represented his compass: “I like these words from Mahler, quoted by Jaurès. So that I prepare for the future by living intensely in the present. We are constantly putting new things in the works. If I had to just pause for a moment, I would simply say that I am a happy father, grandfather and great-grandfather. Apart from a family heritage, where does chance fit into all this? I like this other sentence: “Chance is God who walks incognito”.”