Marc Chagall "Music"

From: Contemporary Jewish Museum
Limited Edition: 50
Exhibition: Chagall and the Artists of the Russian Jewish Theater, 1919-1949
Material: Printed vinyl
Dimensions: 35" x 72" (88cm x 182cm)

Hanging Hardware Included

Summary

Banners from the Contemporary Jewish Museum feature one of Marc Chagall's 1920 murals for Moscow's Jewish Chamber Theater. "Music" was part of a series celebrating the arts which also included "Dance", "Drama", and "Literature". "Music" with its mystical image of a fiddler on the rooftops of wooden shtetls inspired the title for the 1964 Broadway musical "Fiddler on the Roof". 50 banners featuring the renowned work are available from the exhibition "Chagall and the Artists of the Russian Jewish Theater, 1919-1949".

Description

For Marc Chagall, his greatest masterpiece was the suite of murals he painted for Moscow’s Jewish Chamber Theater in 1920. The works are not only a treasure trove revealing Chagall’s style and talent, but also works with an exciting and troubled past. The murals were taken down, rolled up, and stored in State Tretiakov Gallery in Moscow some time in the 1950s. Few knew that the murals had survived over time – not even Chagall himself knew for certain the fate of his murals. In 1973, after more than 50 years away, Chagall visited the Soviet Union. At that time he was reunited with his murals and signed them for the museum. They were restored in 1989 by the Pierre Gianadda Foundation in Martigny, Switzerland which first exhibited the restored works in 1991. After this, the exhibition of murals traveled to Frankfurt, Moscow, London, Chicago, New York, St. Petersburg and beyond.

Banners from the Contemporary Jewish Museum feature one of the murals, Music that was a part of a series celebrating the arts which also included Dance, Drama, and Literature. Music with its mystical image of a fiddler on the rooftops of wooden shtetls inspired the title for the 1964 Broadway musical Fiddler on the Roof. The image’s stark geometry is accentuated by the mixture of a neutral, muted palette and touches of vibrant color. Its drama is set off by the orange-red of the violin and the green of the musician's face and hand. The other side of the banner is yellow with black and red text that reads “Chagall and the Artists of the Russian Jewish Theater/1919-1949/April 23 - September 3, 2009”. Below this, black and white text reads, "Contemporary Jewish Museum". A red band at the bottom of the banner contains the names and logos of the exhibition's sponsors.

Provenance

These banners were displayed around San Francisco from April 23 to September 7, 2009 to promote the exhibition Chagall and the Artists of the Russian Jewish Theater, 1919-1949 at the Contemporary Jewish Museum.

About the Artist

Learn more about Marc Chagall