Marc Chagall Artwork & Original Marc Chagall Lithographs

Marc Chagall (1887-1985) was born in Russia near Vitebsk (in what is now Belarus). Emigration was a constant theme in Chagall’s life, and he found his way to Paris as a young man to avoid Tsarist antisemitism. Then, Marc Chagall returned briefly to Moscow after the Revolution but was disenchanted with the Soviet system, and re-settled in Paris. He fled to New York in 1941 to escape the Nazi Occupation, and later moved back to Europe. Chagall's artwork doesn't fit neatly into any one category; he developed his own Modern style and was closely associated with the School of Paris, producing beautiful lithographs. Highly symbolic and immediately recognizable, Marc Chagall artwork often features village life, with scenes of lovers and the circus frequently making their appearance in his lithographs and other work. He is perhaps the best known artist to celebrate his Jewish heritage, giving powerful artistic expression to Biblical themes, culminating in the famous Chagall Bible lithographs.

Marc Chagall was present in Paris during the mid-1900s, working closely with Master Printer Fernand Mourlot, who printed so many original Chagall lithographs, as well as creating art prints along with publishers Aimé Maeght (Derriére le Miroir) and Gualtieri di San Lazzaro (founder of the journal XXe Siecle -- Chroniques du Jour). A gifted painter and etcher (and also known for his murals and stained glass), Chagall is most highly acclaimed for his color lithographs.