Enriching the collections. New acquisitions

Enriching the collections
Four exceptionnal artworks enter the museum !

Four remarkable and rare artworks by the artist entered the collections of the National Marc Chagall Museum in 2023 to mark the museum's 50th anniversary, celebrated by a festive weekend and the exhibition Chagall and I ! Contemporary Perspectives on Marc Chagall, illustrating Chagall's legacy in contemporary art. These artworks join the museum's collections, created by the Marc Chagall's donation of the Biblical Message made of 560 pieces in 1966 and 1972. 

The collection now comprises almost 1,000 pieces, which make it one of the most important public collections of Chagall's works in the world. 

The Mexican Rider in Red and His Violet Horse (1943) belongs to the singular and rare group of "Mexican" gouaches, and follows on from the Hispanic sketches produced before the premiere of the ballet Aleko in Mexico City in 1942. It is the only work from this cycle owned by the museum.

Bathed in blue, representative of post-war night scenes, The Descent from the Cross on a Blue Background (1950) is characteristic of Marc Chagall's parallel between the figure of Christ and that of the painter, both sharing the pain of the world.

Produced during its stay in the provencal town of Vence, The Fiddler (1957) highlights the musical and playful universe of Chagall's works during this period, when he was working on large-scale compositions based on music and the circus.

Elijah's Char, a model for the mosaic created for the National Marc Chagall Museum (1970) is one of two models showing the artist's iconographic research for the creation of the mosaic that sheds light on his creative process.

This exhibition showcases the museum's acquisition policy and presents a selection of works acquired over the years in a display featuring recurring Chagallian themes: music, representations of Christ, prophets and more.

The works in the Marc Chagall National Museum have entered the collections in a variety of ways: gifts, legacies, purchases by private treaty or at public auction, etc. The museum has benefited from major gifts, notably from the collections of the artist himself and his heirs, Chagall's regular lithographer Charles Sorlier, and the association of the Friends of the Marc Chagall National Museum. Due to the high cost of Chagall's paintings, the museum's acquisition policy now focuses on enriching its collection of graphic arts - drawings, engravings, lithographs and illustrated works.
Since the museum's name was changed in 2008, the acquisition policy has extended to themes broader than biblical works, giving the opportunity to present the artist's work in its entirety.

Curated by :
Anne Dopffer, General Curator of Heritage, Director of the National Museums of the 20th Century of the Alpes-Maritimes
Grégory Couderc, Scientific Head of Collections, Marc Chagall National Museum, Nice

Marc Chagall, The Mexican Rider in Red and His Violet Horse (1943), gouache, pastel, Indian ink et scratch on paper, 50,6 x 37,8 cm. New acquisition, Marc Chagall National Museum, Nice (2023). Photo: © DR / musées nationaux du XX^e siècle des Alpes-Maritimes © ADAGP, Paris, 2024.