Marc Chagall
Marc Chagall
1887 - 1985
Marc Chagall, a Russian-French artist of Belarusian Jewish origin, was an early modernist who combined Cubism, Symbolism and Fauvism to create paintings that were dreamy reveries of life in his native village of Vitebsk.

In 1906, at the age of 19, Chagall moved to St. Petersburg to attend art school, and between 1908 and 1910 was a student of Léon Bakst at the Zvantseva School of Drawing and Painting. In 1910, Chagall relocated to Paris, where Cubism dominated the art world. He developed friendships with avant-garde artists such as Guillaume Apollinaire, Robert Delaunay, Fernand Léger and Pablo Picasso, who praised him, marvelling at his imagery and use of colour. Though Chagall dabbled in Cubism, he ultimately rejected it as too limiting and rational. He painted about Slavic folklore, his Hasidic experiences and his family, his fiancée and experiences in Vitebsk.

In 1914, he returned to Russia to visit his family and fiancée. He only intended to stay a short time, but the outbreak of World War I and later the Bolshevik Revolution, prevented his return to Western Europe. He was regarded as distinguished artist and a member of the modernist avante-garde, and after the Revolution, became Commissar of Arts for Vitebsk and founded the Vitebsk Art College. After the War, famine and poverty were prevalent, and he decided to return to France.

When he arrived in Paris in 1923, Surrealism had become the primary artistic movement in the city, and Chagall’s work was celebrated as groundbreaking. He formed a relationship with renowned French Art dealer Ambroise Vollard, and this inspired him to create etchings for a series of illustrated books, such as Gogol’s Dead Souls and the Bible. He found inspiration in his travels throughout Europe, Egypt, Palestine and Israel, where he immersed himself in the history of the Jewish people.

In 1941, during World War II, Chagall and his wife Bella accepted an offer of sanctuary in the United States, as Paris had become a dangerous place for Jews. He arrived as an artist of international stature, and settled in New York, where he was represented by Pierre Matisse. His work began to incorporate images of the Crucifixion as a response to the Nazi atrocities towards Jews. He learned that his home town Vitebsk had been destroyed by the Germans. In 1944 Bella died of an infection, and her image as “bride” or ‘“lover” became a recurring theme in Chagall’s paintings until his death. During his time in New York, the artist was given a retrospective by the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Art Institute of Chicago.

Chagall returned to France in 1948, settling in Vence. He began to experiment with a wide variety of new media, most notably stain glass works, which were imbued with strong colours. His later life is often associated with his large-scale commissions of stain glass windows and murals, such as the ceiling for the Paris Opera. Music was important to Chagall, and it often appeared in his imagery.

Chagall frequently revisited his hometown of Vitebsk in his paintings. Symbols of the Jewish communities there formed a recurring presence in his work and served as a tribute to the place that shaped him. He drew imagery from all aspects of his life, which varied from Russian folk art to Orthodox Church icons and Jewish artistic tradition. An intense light and rich colour palette used to emotional and mystical effect was a main feature of his work. Hailed as a master of European Modernism, his work is dreamlike and floating. In 1973, the Chagall Museum was inaugurated in Nice, and at the opening the artist declared that his work represented the dream not just of one people, but all humanity.
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Cirque by Marc Chagall sold for $115,250
Marc Chagall
Cirque
16 3/4 x 12 3/4 in, 42.5 x 32.4 cm
limited edition portfolio of lithographs
Estimate: $100,000 - $150,000 CDN
Sold for: $115,250 CDN (premium included)
Pop Art Prints & International Graphics on Thursday, April 29, 2021
Sur la terre des dieux by Marc Chagall sold for $79,250
Marc Chagall
Sur la terre des dieux
26 x 20 in, 66 x 50.8 cm
limited edition portfolio of lithographs
Estimate: $70,000 - $90,000 CDN
Sold for: $79,250 CDN (premium included)
Pop Art Prints & International Graphics on Thursday, April 29, 2021
The Magic Flute by Marc Chagall sold for $28,125
Marc Chagall
The Magic Flute
40 x 26 in, 101.6 x 66 cm
colour lithograph on Arches paper
Estimate: $18,000 - $22,000 CDN
Sold for: $28,125 CDN (premium included)
Pop Art Prints & International Graphics on Thursday, April 28, 2022
Roses and Mimosa by Marc Chagall sold for $26,325
Marc Chagall
Roses and Mimosa
32 3/4 x 25 3/4 in, 83.2 x 65.4 cm
colour lithograph
Estimate: $12,000 - $15,000 CDN
Sold for: $26,325 CDN (premium included)
October 2010 - 1st Session on Thursday, October 28, 2010
Angel Bay with Bouquet of Roses by Marc Chagall sold for $20,060
Marc Chagall
Angel Bay with Bouquet of Roses
24 x 18 in, 61 x 45.7 cm
1967
colour lithograph on Arches paper
Estimate: $12,000 - $15,000 CDN
Sold for: $20,060 CDN (premium included)
October 2016 - 5th Session on Thursday, October 27, 2016
From Daphnis and Chloe: Le repas chez Dryas by Marc Chagall sold for $18,400
Marc Chagall
From Daphnis and Chloe: Le repas chez Dryas
16 1/2 x 25 1/4 in, 41.9 x 64.1 cm
lithograph on paper
Estimate: $20,000 - $25,000 CDN
Sold for: $18,400 CDN (premium included)
April 2008 - 2nd Session on Saturday, April 26, 2008
Circus Parade by Marc Chagall sold for $17,500
Marc Chagall
Circus Parade
17 x 13 in, 43.2 x 33 cm
colour lithograph
Estimate: $15,000 - $20,000 CDN
Sold for: $17,500 CDN (premium included)
International Graphics & Pop Art on Thursday, October 25, 2018
Composition champêtre by Marc Chagall sold for $15,000
Marc Chagall
Composition champêtre
14 x 11 7/8 in, 35.6 x 30.2 cm
colour lithograph on Arches paper
Estimate: $4,000 - $6,000 CDN
Sold for: $15,000 CDN (premium included)
Pop Art Prints & International Graphics on Thursday, April 29, 2021
The Tumblers by Marc Chagall sold for $12,500
Marc Chagall
The Tumblers
22 1/2 x 15 1/2 in, 57.2 x 39.4 cm
colour lithograph on Arches paper
Estimate: $10,000 - $12,000 CDN
Sold for: $12,500 CDN (premium included)
Pop Art Prints & International Graphics on Thursday, April 29, 2021
Daphnis and Lycenion by Marc Chagall sold for $9,360
Marc Chagall
Daphnis and Lycenion
16 1/2 x 12 5/8 in, 41.9 x 32.1 cm
lithograph
Estimate: $10,000 - $15,000 CDN
Sold for: $9,360 CDN (premium included)
October 2009 - 1st Session on Thursday, October 29, 2009