Marc Chagall

signed and dated 1950

David B. Findlay Galleries, New York
Christie's, New York, 11 May 1989, lot 205
Private Collection
Sotheby's, London, 25 June 2002, lot 181
Acquired by the present owner from the above sale

Osaka, Takashimaya Art Gallery; Kyoto, Takashimaya Art Gallery; Yokohama, Takashimaya Art Gallery; Tokyo, Takashimaya Art Gallery; Okayama, Prefectural Museum; and Gifu, Prefectural Museum, Marc Chagall, March – October 2012, p. 28, cat. no. 11 (illustrated in colour) (additional catalogue for Okayama and Gifu locations, p. 107, cat. no. 62, illustrated in colour)

This work is in excellent condition overall. No apparent condition issue observed. Deckle paper edges are intrinsic to the artist's chosen medium. Framed in Plexiglass.
"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."

Having been kept away from France by the Second World War, Marc Chagall was finally able to return to Paris in 1948, the city where he first began developing his distinctive artistic repertoire. Chagall’s joy and delight of returning can be felt through the current work which was painted in 1950 when he bought a house in Vence where he would remain for the rest of his life. Bathed in the warm iridescent light of Southern France, the painting depicts a young couple embracing intimately in an interior rendered in translucent tones. Chagall’s soft handling of bright saturated colours created a dream-like sensuality and timeless tranquillity that are characteristics of his pictorial style. Dominating three-quarters of the composition in the foreground and is a bouquet of flowers in full blossom, a recurring motif in the artist’s oeuvre. ‘The light, the vegetation, the rhythm of life all contributed to the rise of a more relaxed airy, sensuous style in which the magic of colour dominates more and more with the passing years,’ Chagall's biographer Franz Meyer wrote, ‘At Vence he witnessed the daily miracle of growth and blossoming in the mild, strong all-pervading light – an experience in which earth and matter had their place’ (Marc Chagall, London, 1964, p. 519). During this time, Chagall maintained regular contact with fellow artists Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso who were his neighbours in this region, and with whom Chagall shared Fauvist and Cubist stylistic similarities at various stages throughout his artistic career.