Chagall in mosaic. Glass and stone

Like stained glass, tapestry and ceramics, mosaics were among the new artistic expressions that Marc Chagall experimented with after his return to France in 1949, in Vence, following his exile in the United States during the Second World War. It opened up new avenues for the artist in his research into light, matter, color and the creation of monumental works in dialogue with architecture.

The artistic entente Chagall established with the mosaicists embodies a synergy where innovation and heritage meet, revealing how an ancestral technique can stimulate contemporary creation. Between 1958 and 1986, Chagall created fourteen mosaics in the South of France (Nice, Vence, Saint-Paul-de-Vence, Les-Arcs sur Argens), the United States (Chicago and Washington), Israel (Jerusalem) and Switzerland, with a work created for a private mansion in Paris and transferred to the Fondation Gianadda in Martigny in 2003.

This exhibition offers, for the first time, a complete panorama of Chagall's fourteen mosaic projects, through numerous works and archival documents. Some twenty-five sketches and maquettes of Chagall's mosaics illustrate the artist's research and creative process, while four to five mosaic pieces are exceptionally brought together and will form a highlight of the exhibition.

This manifestation is also an opportunity to showcase the mosaic Le Char d'Elie, created in 1970 for the Musée National Marc Chagall, by presenting it opposite the two models of this work, including the previously unpublished one acquired in 2023. A collection of paintings, drawings, engravings and lithographs complete the display.

Curator:
Anne Dopffer, Director of the Musée national du XX^e siècle des Alpes-Maritimes
Grégory Couderc, Scientific Head of Collections, Musée national Marc Chagall, Nice

Exhibition organized by the Musée national Marc Chagall, the GrandPalaisRmn and the MAR - Museo d'Arte della città di Ravenna.

^{_{The Prophet Elijah, 715 x 570cm, © Succession Marc Chagall for the works, Musée national Marc Chagall. Photo: © François Fernandez Adagp, Paris, 2025}}