Marc Chagall

Galerie Maeght, Paris
Sacha Guitry, Paris
Charles E. Slatkin Galleries, New York
Private Collection, Massachusetts (acquired from the above in 1961 and sold: Sotheby's, New York, May 6, 2015, lot 237)
Acquired at the above sale

New York, Charles E. Slatkin Galleries, French Master Drawings, XVI-XX Centuries, 1959, no. 134

The work is in overall very good condition. Executed on cream wove paper which has been affixed to a mount at four places along the perimeter of its verso. The sheet is unevenly cut around three of its edges. There are a couple minor abrasions to the extreme upper left corner and bottom left corner. The sheet is otherwise in good condition and the colors remain fresh and vivid.
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.

Evoking one of the most enduring themes of Chagall’s oeuvre, Les Amourex au clair de lune portrays an archetypal pair of lovers intertwined beneath the opalescent moonlight. Completed five years after the death of his wife Bella, Chagall immortalizes his beloved using many of the same motifs that inspired him during their nearly thirty years together. Chagall stopped painting briefly after Bella's passing, stating, “I lost her, who was the meaning in my life was, my inspiration. Now as ‘easy’ and [un]clouded as my life was, so it is now full of tragedies” (quoted in Susan Tumarkin Goodman, Chagall, Love, War, and Exile, New York, 2013, p. 62). Yet it was perhaps the memory of Bella, and the promise of newfound love with his former housekeeper Virginia Haggard, which brought him out of his depression and incited the creation of some of his most important works in the years to follow.

Chagall’s belief in the affinity between painting and dreaming is reflected beautifully in the present work. Associating the color blue with joy, he celebrates this tender remembrance of his wife. Even in grief, Chagall continued to be fueled by love. More than a decade after the completion Les Amourex au clair de lune he reflected, “Is it not true that painting and color are inspired by love? It is our duty to color our own lives with shades of love and hope… In art, as in life, all is possible when conceived in love” (quoted in Pierre Provoyeur, Marc Chagall, New York, 1964, n.p.).