Chagall at MUDEC March 16th – July 31st, 2022

March 16th – July 31st, 2022

The exhibition, curated by the Israel Museum in Jerusalem, approaches the work of Marc Chagall from a new perspective, placing it in the context of his cultural background. This is facilitated by the Israel Museum’s extraordinary collection, featuring dozens of prints, drawings, and paintings donated mostly by Chagall’s family and friends. Over 100 of these exquisite works are now on display at the MUDEC.

The exhibition project is dedicated in particular to Chagall’s graphic works and his activity as a book illustrator.

The exhibition traces some of the fundamental themes of the artist’s life and work: from his roots in Vitebsk (now Belarus), described with love and nostalgia in his autobiography, My Life, to the encounter with his beloved wife Bella Rosenfeld, whose books, Burning Lights and First Encounter, Chagall illustrated.

The books, portraying memories of Bella’s life in Vitebsk’s Jewish community, were published after her untimely death. Many of the original drawings are on display.

The works exhibited thus reflect the multifaceted identity of the artist, who is at the same time the Jewish child of Vitebsk; the husband who accompanies his beloved wife’s books with images; the artist illustrating the Bible; and finally, the original modern painter who, through the use of Christian iconography, mourns the fate of the Jewish people in the twentieth century.

The works are accompanied by a selection of Jewish ritual objects, Yiddish music, and photographs, all relating to Chagall’s roots.