The song of songs. The colour revealed

This exhibition is organised on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the donation to France of the Biblical Message and Song of Songs cycle, made by Marc and Valentina Chagall in 1966. It is thanks to their exceptional generosity that the Marc Chagall National Museum in Nice was created in 1973.

The biblical poem Song of Songs inspired five masterpieces by Marc Chagall. Painted between 1957 and 1966, they were donated to the State and are among the jewels of the museum's collection. They were recently restored while the museum was closed. The paintings were thoroughly cleaned and their paint layers consolidated, revealing their flamboyant colours once again.
Their new framing also makes it possible to rediscover the movement and freedom of the motifs in this timeless love song. Carried out in partnership with the Centre Interdisciplinaire de Conservation et de Restauration du Patrimoine (CICRP) in Marseille, this operation also involved in-depth analysis of the works using scientific imaging techniques such as radiography and elemental analysis of the pigments in the works.

This exhibition is an opportunity to share with the public the knowledge of Marc Chagall's technique acquired during this restoration.

On the occasion of the anniversary of Marc Chagall's birth, a free harpsichord concert, performed by harpsichordist Martine Raibaldi, will take place on Saturday 9 July 2016 at 3pm in the auditorium, thanks to the generosity of the Association of Friends of the Marc Chagall National Museum.

The exhibition is organised by the National Museums of the 20th Century in the Alpes-Maritimes and conceived in partnership with the Interdisciplinary Centre for the Conservation and Restoration of Heritage in Marseille.

Curators:
Anne Dopffer, General Curator of Heritage, Director of the National 20th Century Museums of the Alpes-Maritimes
Johanne Lindskog, heritage curator at the Musée national Marc Chagall