Marc Chagall

James Vigevano Galleries, Los Angeles
Mrs Helen Z. Frank, San Francisco
John Berggruen Gallery, San Francisco
Acquired from the above by the present owner in 1987

Executed on cream wove paper, glued at all four corners and at the centre of each edge, and floating in the mount. The paper is slightly undulating, possibly due to the application of medium. The left and right edges are unevenly cut. There is an artist's pin hole at the lower left corner and there is a spot of paint loss to the right foot of the figure and a tiny dent at the centre of the right foot. There is a tiny spot of paint loss to the right corner of the sun. Otherwise this work is in overall good condition.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Two years after the outbreak of the Second World War, Chagall left Europe for New York with the help of American journalist Varian Fry and the Museum of Modern Art; by the time the artist and his wife Bella finally arrived in 1941, the Germans had invaded the Soviet Union. Shortly after his arrival, Chagall was commissioned by choreographer Leonid Massine from the Ballet Theatre to create costumes and theatre sets for the Russian Ballet Aleko, inspired by a poem, The Gypsies, written by the great Russian writer Pushkin and accompanied by music composed by Tchaikovsky. The ballet is a dramatic story about a young aristocrat called Aleko who, tired of high society and in search of freedom, joins a band of gypsies.

The present work depicts Aleko working under a burning red sun in the yellow fields of the Russian countryside. Chagall had the extraordinary ability to transform a mundane scene into one full of wonder, movement and life in such an evocative manner that one can almost hear Tchaikovsky’s music sweeping across the lowlands.
Far from home, yet working on a project rooted in his beloved Russian culture, the Vitebsk-born artist drew great inspiration from the energy and colours of his Mexican surroundings, where he was working at the time. Needless to say, the subject of colour is central in Chagall’s oeuvre: ‘I wanted the colour to play and speak alone’ (quoted in Chagall, Exile in America and the Aleko (exhibition catalogue), Aomori Museum of Art, Aomori, 2006, p. 46). His granddaughter, Bella Meyer, recalls her grandfather speaking about the theatre and of how well it allowed him to express his artistic concerns. The present work is a perfect representation of Chagall’s genius; movement, light and colour all come together to create a scene of harmony and delight.