(2241)
1887-1983
French painter of Russian origin born in VITEBSK. Just like most Jewish families of Russia in those times, Marc Chagall's family was deeply attached to the Hebraic cult.
In 1907 he becomes a student of the Imperial School of St Petersburg, then in 1908 of the Zvanseva School, where he is taught by professor L?on Bask, to whom he owes the affirmation of his personality as a colorist. He starts painting classical themes from the life of Russian peasants.
In 1909 he meets BELLA, who becomes his wife, and in 1910 he leaves for Paris.
In 1914 he organizes in Berlin, at the Der Sturm Gallery, his first large individual exhibition and then comes back to Russia.
In 1923 Chagall is back to Paris where he embarks on illustrating GOGOL?s novel ?Dead Souls? with 107 engravings.
In 1923 he makes 100 engravings for La Fontaine's Fables, which will be published only in 1952.
He exhibits his works for the first time in New York in 1926.
In 1931 he illustrates the Bible with 100 engravings.
In 1941, at the invitation of the Museum of Modern Art, he comes to New York, where his wife dies in 1944.
He makes the scenery for "L'Oiseau de Feu" (1945) for the Metropolitan Opera of New York.
In 1950 he settles in France on the C?te d'Azur, at Vence, near Nice, and will never leave the place. He marries Valentine (Vava) in 1952.
He is awarded the First Prize for Engraving at the Venice Biennial in 1948.
He is commissioned to make large public decoration works, including 2 large mural compositions for the Metropolitan of New York, the donation of the "Biblical Message" in Nice and the ceiling of the Paris Opera House.
In 1961 he illustrates "Daphnis et Chlo?" for color lithographs. These illustrations are considered to be Chagall's most significant graphical work.
It was only after two trips to Greece, in 1952 and 1954 respectively, where he painted gouaches and pastels on the actual setting of the novel, that he really started the work.
The lithographs themselves were made between 1957 and 1960, based on the paintings he had made in Greece.
He died at Vence in 1985.
