Marc Chagall. Una storia di due mondi

From the collection of the Israel Museum in Jerusalem

The exhibition, curated by the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, approaches Marc Chagall’s work from a new perspective, placing it in the context of his cultural background, thanks to the extraordinary collection in the Israel Museum, which features a selection of more than 100 works donated mostly by Chagall’s family and friends.

The exhibition project is devoted in particular to Chagall’s graphic works and his work as an editorial illustrator.
The exhibition traces some of the fundamental themes of the artist’s life and production: from his roots in his native Vitebsk (now Belarus), described with love and nostalgia in the series Ma vie, to his meeting with his beloved wife Bella Rosenfeld, whose books Burning Lights and First Encounter he illustrated, dedicated to Bella’s memories of life in the Jewish community, published after her untimely death and whose original drawings are on display in the exhibition.

The works on display thus reflect the multifaceted identity of the artist, who is at the same time the Jewish child of Vitebsk; the husband who equips his beloved wife’s books with images; the artist who illustrates the Bible, thus wishing to make up for the lack of a Jewish tradition in the visual arts; and finally the original modern painter who, through the use of Christian iconography, mourns the fate that befell the Jewish people in his century.

Finally, there will be a selection of ritual objects, used in the religious ceremonies of Jewish communities and which are often depicted in Chagall’s works.