Marc Chagall

Private Collection, United States (and sold: Matsart Auctioneers and Appraisers, Jerusalem, February 19, 2013, lot 73)
Private Collection, United States
Acquired from the above by the present owner

The board is sound. There are a few minute losses scattered throughout, but they are difficult to see with the naked eye. Under UV light: there are numerous tiny pindot retouches throughout, addressing previous losses similar to those presently visible. The restoration has been extremely sensitively done and the work presents very well. 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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Le Peintre à la palette, a delicate self portrait completed near the end of Chagall’s life, is a beautiful example of the artist’s career-long dedication to experimenting with self-portraiture, translating dream imagery to canvas and playing with color and light. Chagall places himself at the center of this composition seated in front of his easel, adorned in deep hues of ocean-like blues and greens. Just above the artist’s head flies an ethereal figure looking along with him at his work: a muse-like symbol that physically represents Chagall’s artistic vision and inspiration creating an image that beautifully displays the artist’s ability to render imagination physically.

Chagall found a strong affinity between painting and dreaming, which was something he not only explored through iconography, but also through his use of color and painterly style. Saturated hues of pink, yellow, green, red, and blue dance across this piece, producing an ethereal scene further punctuated by the soft brushstrokes that cause the figures to at times be indistinct and to even blend together nearly to the point of abstraction. Picasso, who lived near Chagall in Saint-Paul-de-Vence during the later years of his life, once spoke to Francoise Gilot of his palette: “When Matisse dies, Chagall will be the only painter left who understands what color is… His canvases are really painted, not just tossed together. Some of the last things he’s done in Vence convince me that there’s never been anybody since Renoir who has the feeling for light that Chagall has" (quoted in Françoise Gilot, Life with Picasso, New York, 1989, p. 282).

The authenticity of this work has kindly been confirmed by the Comité Chagall.