Marc Chagall (1887-1985) was an early modernist Russian-French artist whose works ranged from paintings, drawings, book illustrations, stained glass, stage sets, ceramics, tapestries and fine art prints. In 1907, Chagall began studying art with Leon Bakst in St. Petersburg where his distinct style that we recognize today began to emerge. He moved to Paris in 1910, and it was during this period that he painted some of his most famous paintings of the town in which he grew up. His recognizable style utilizes strong and bright colors to portray the world in a dreamlike state, highlighting ideas of fantasy, nostalgia, and religion to create otherworldly images. In 1914, Chagall held a one-man show in Berlin, exhibiting work dominated by Jewish images. In addition to images of the Jewish world, Chagall’s paintings are inspired by themes from the Bible. His fascination with the Bible culminated in a series of over 100 etchings illustrating the Bible, many of which incorporate elements from folklore and religious life in Russia.

 

Chagall was one of the very few artists to exhibit work at the Louvre in their lifetime. He's had work housed and retrospectives exhibited the Metropolitan Opera, the Lincoln Center, the Luxembourg Museum, the Jewish Museum, the Musée d'art et d'histoire du judaïsme, Notre-Dame de Reims, and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.