Marc Chagall (Russian, 1887-1985) 

Marc Chagall was born on July 7th, 1887 to a poor Jewish family from Pestkovatik, a small village in western Czarist Russia. Chagall’s family name was Shagal. A few years after Marc's birth the family relocated to nearby Vitebsk, which became the chief source of subjects for Chagall’s paintings. Chagall’s early life was spent in a small Jewish enclave that was subject to persecution and official and unofficial events of violence. Young Chagall was at odds with family and faith by breaking Mosaic law that forbids the making of graven, or representative images. Chagall studied in St. Petersburg from 1906 until 1910 and then went on to Paris where he remained until 1914. Unfortunately, while visiting family in Russia, World War I broke out, trapping him in the New Soviet Union. Chagall prospered and wound up Commissar of Art for his village of Vitebsk in 1917. However disagreements with other artists sent him to Moscow where he designed sets for the theatre. By 1922 the Soviet Union had grown more resistant to his nonpolitical art, so Chagall, his wife Bella and daughter Ida migrated to France where he was immediately commissioned by Ambroise Vollard to illustrate Gogol's "Dead Souls". In 1937 Chagall became a French citizen, a privilege that was soon revoked when the Germans conquered France in 1941. Chagall, like many, were hesitant to accept the danger they faced as Jewish people, and as an artist he was among those condemned as "degenerate" by Hitler. In April of '41 Chagall was arrested and American intervention secured his release. Chagall spent the war years in America. Bella died in 1944, and Chagall formed a new relationship with an Englishwoman named Virginia Haggard, who accompanied him back to Paris in 1948. They broke up in '52 and Chagall remarried Valentine Brodsky and found stability again, which he so sorely required for his work. Chagall lived a long, prolific life; he passed at the age of 97 on March 29, 1985.

In an age of constant change, Marc Chagall's single vision was a breath of fresh air. For all the styles and movements, rarely does a single artist defy comparison, fit no mold, and stand alone like Marc Chagall. Almost every work of art created by the hand of Chagall reads like poetry.  All elements infused into his paintings complement one another to create harmonious, lyrical, and balanced compositions. Chagall’s artwork, irregardless of the media be it painting, dry point, etching, or other are not merely created with paint or ink they are filled with the everlasting essence of life.

American Fine Art Editions, Inc. takes pride in offering our clients the opportunity to acquire the original masters and revolutionary artists of the 20^th century, many of which working on the cusp of a new artistic movement and often leading major movements in the history of art including the famed Surrealist, Salvador Dali; the father of Optical Art, Vasarely; the renowned Cubist among other things, Pablo Picasso, the Fauvist, Henri Matisse; the Photo-Realist, Thomas Pradzynski; the monochromatic genius, Andrew Wyeth; the post war Impressionist, LeRoy Neiman; the Prince of Pop Art, Andy Warhol and of course in a school of his own Marc Chagall. Whether your interest in art is investment, aesthetic, or a combination of both our International Art Consultants will assist you in building an extraordinary collection. Visit our 12,000 sq. ft. showroom in Scottsdale, AZ or call today. Our website is offered only as a limited place to browse or refresh your memory and is not a reflection of our current inventory. If you need to learn more about collecting, pricing, value or any other art information your International Art Consultant will assist you and give you the one on one attention you deserve.