The Marc Chagall national Museum holds a vast collection of documents on the life and work of the painter. The documentation centre includes a library, a photo library, documentary files and the archives of the museum's scientific activities, as well as the archives of the Picasso National Museum War and Peace. In addition to these archives, there is a private collection: the Aimé Pallière collection (1868-1949), deposited with the museum in 1975.
THE LIBRARY
The library was originally part of Marc Chagall's museographic project, for whom the museum was to be a place of spirituality, open not only to the plastic arts but also to music, poetry and thought.
The original core of the collection, which consisted of about 2000 books, has been constantly enriched. It now includes more than 6000 works on the life and work of Marc Chagall, exhibition catalogues and monographs, as well as works on the history of art, artistic movements and techniques, numerous artists' monographs and a major collection on the history of religions. A collection dedicated to Picasso's work in Vallauris (1948-1955) is currently being developed.
The library also holds a collection of art magazines: Cahiers d'art, Verve, Derrière le Miroir.
Online catalogue: part of the library's collection can be consulted on the collective catalogue of national museum libraries.
DOCUMENTARY RESOURCES
Older works
Les revues d'art
The library holds a collection of art magazines from the first half of the 20th century:
- Cahiers d'art, founded by Christian Zervos in 1926
- Verve, founded in 1937 by the publisher Tériade
- Derrière le miroir, published by the Galerie Maeght
Rare, exhibition catalogues dedicated to the artist Marc Chagall, between 1923 and 1978. Please download the list below (pdf format):
Photographic collection
This is a large collection of photographs relating to the life of Marc Chagall, the construction of the museum and the temporary exhibitions and events that took place in and outside the museum. A large number of Chagall's works outside the museum's collection are also photographed.
Files of works
The documentation centre contains files on all the works in the Marc Chagall National Museum collection. These files can be consulted in part on request by researchers.
The Chagall Museum Archives
- Academic work
Master's theses and dissertations on the work of Marc Chagall and the history of the museum.
- Audiovisual collection
A collection of documentary films on Marc Chagall, filmed between 1972 and 2003.
- Archives of the museum's scientific activities since its opening: exhibitions, publications, research.
- Aimé Pallière fonds
The archives of Aimé Pallière, a French writer, journalist and theologian (1868-1949) who worked for closer ties with Judaism, were deposited with the Museum in 1975. The collection consists of lectures, writings and correspondence by Aimé Pallière.
For more information on Aimé Pallière:
- Bulletin of the French Research Centre in Jerusalem, "Aimé Pallière, Le Paradoxe d'un président chrétien pour l'Union universelle de la jeunesse juive", by Catherine Poujol, to consult it, click here
- Thesis, Itinéraire d'un chrétien dans le judaïsme, by Catherine Poujol, to consult it, click here
- Picasso Fund
These archives are linked to the creation of the Pablo Picasso national Museum, War and Peace, in Vallauris, and to its activity since 1959. Photographic collection linked to the museum's exhibitions and events.
Other Archives
- Ida and Marc Chagall Archives (Paris)
The Marc and Ida Chagall Archives, managed by the Association of Friends of Marc Chagall, hold important archives on the life and work of the artist. To consult these archives online.
- Archives of André Hermant, architect of the museum
They are kept at the Cité de l'Architecture et du Patrimoine. For more information, click here
Other research tools on Marc Chagall
- marcchagall.com, the official website dedicated to the artist Marc Chagall
Officially launched on 15 March 2023, this website is dedicated to promoting and understanding the work of Marc Chagall. The first initiative of this scale dedicated to the artist, supported by the Association of Friends of Marc Chagall, the site provides an exhaustive overview of Chagall's work, enabling visitors to discover or rediscover the work of this major 20th-century artist. To visit the official websit
- Pearltrees, a web service for organizing, exploring and sharing digital content.
To consult a selection of sites on Marc Chagall.
- List of other resources on the internet (downloadable document, pdf format):
PRACTICAL INFORMATION
Access to the museum's documentation centre
Access is reserved for students and researchers, by appointment. Consultation is carried out on site, in the library's reading room.
Please send a written request to the attention of Isabelle Le Bastard, documentary studies Officer.
Tel: +33 (0)4 93 53 87 28
isabelle.le-bastard@culture.gouv.fr
Authentification des œuvres de Marc Chagall
The Marc Chagall national Museum is not authorized to carry out the authentication of works. For any request for authentication of the works of Marc Chagall, please visit the Marc Chagall committee website.
The Marc and Ida Chagall Committee holds important archives on the life and work of the artist. To contact them:
35, Quai de l'Horloge. 75001 Paris - France
Tel. +33 (0)1 40 51 74 70
Marc Chagall, Sketch for two faces (detail, 1968, gouache and Indian ink on Japon nacré paper, 33 x 25 cm). Musée national d'Art moderne, Paris, donation Meret Meyer (2022) © Archives Marc et Ida Chagall / ADAGP, Paris, 2024.
