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MARC CHAGALL (1887-1985)

 
MARC CHAGALL - Les Amoureux sur le divan - watercolor and pencil on paper - 25 1/2 x 19 1/2 in. MARC CHAGALL - Les Amoureux sur le divan - watercolor and pencil on paper - 25 1/2 x 19 1/2 in. MARC CHAGALL - Les Amoureux sur le divan - watercolor and pencil on paper - 25 1/2 x 19 1/2 in. MARC CHAGALL - Les Amoureux sur le divan - watercolor and pencil on paper - 25 1/2 x 19 1/2 in. MARC CHAGALL - Les Amoureux sur le divan - watercolor and pencil on paper - 25 1/2 x 19 1/2 in. MARC CHAGALL - Les Amoureux sur le divan - watercolor and pencil on paper - 25 1/2 x 19 1/2 in. MARC CHAGALL - Les Amoureux sur le divan - watercolor and pencil on paper - 25 1/2 x 19 1/2 in. MARC CHAGALL - Les Amoureux sur le divan - watercolor and pencil on paper - 25 1/2 x 19 1/2 in. MARC CHAGALL - Les Amoureux sur le divan - watercolor and pencil on paper - 25 1/2 x 19 1/2 in. MARC CHAGALL - Les Amoureux sur le divan - watercolor and pencil on paper - 25 1/2 x 19 1/2 in.
Les Amoureux sur le divanc.1948-194925 1/2 x 19 1/2 in.(65 x 49.9 cm) watercolor and pencil on paper
Provenance
Private Collection, New York
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“If I create from the heart, nearly everything works; if from the head, almost nothing.” – Marc Chagall

History

Chagall is so often lauded for his ability to bring the viewer into a vibrant and blissful world that it is refreshing to see how well he conveys his infectious joie de vivre without using color. Free of coloration and executed in pencil and transparent gray washes, Les Amoureux sur le Divan might well reflect the pathos and bereavement that remained after the death of his beloved Bella in September 1944. On the other hand, it may depict his current paramour, and the mother of his second child, Virginia Haggard. In either case, Les Amoureux sur le Divan refreshes our appreciation for an artist unmatched in his desire and ability to share private memories of such loving intimacy, engaging us as fortunate voyeurs to the most rapturous moments of a life well-lived.

“In the arts, as in life, everything is possible provided it is based on love.” – Marc Chagall

Comparable Artworks Sold at Auction

Gouache, watercolor, pastel and black Conté crayon over pencil on Japan paper, 35 7/8 x 23 3/4 in. Sold at Christie's New York:  November 2017.

"Le cirque à l'Arc-en-Ciel" (1969-1970), sold for $1,572,500.

Gouache, watercolor, pastel and black Conté crayon over pencil on Japan paper, 35 7/8 x 23 3/4 in. Sold at Christie’s New York: November 2017.
Tempera, gouache, watercolour, and pastel on paper, 29 ¾ x 22 1/8 in. Sold at Christie's London: February 2019.

"Les Quatres Saisons" (1974) sold for $891,200.

Tempera, gouache, watercolour, and pastel on paper, 29 ¾ x 22 1/8 in. Sold at Christie’s London: February 2019.
Gouache, watercolor, tempera and pastel over pencil on paper, 29 3/4 x 22 1/4 in. Sold at Christie's New York: November 2018.

"Au cirque" (1969) sold for $792,500.

Gouache, watercolor, tempera and pastel over pencil on paper, 29 3/4 x 22 1/4 in. Sold at Christie’s New York: November 2018.

Similar Artworks in Museum Collections

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

“Water Carrier by Moonlight” (1911), watercolor, gouache, and ink on paper, 9 1/2 x 12 1/4 in.

The Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C.

“The Dream” (1939), opaque and transparent watercolor and pastel on paper, 20 9/16 x 26 3/4 in.

The Jewish Museum

“Untitled (Old Man with Beard)” (c. 1931), gouache and watercolor over charcoal or graphite on paper, 24 1/4 x 19 in.

The Barnes Collection, Philadelphia

“Café” (c. 1910-1914), watercolor, brush and ink, and graphite on blue laid paper, 4 5/8 x 6 in.

Los Angeles County Museum of Art

“Flowers and Angels” (c. 1930-1935), pastel and gouache, 23 1/4 x 19 3/16 in.
“The stars were my best friends. The air was full of legends and phantoms, full of mythical and fair-tale creatures, which suddenly flew away over the roof, so that one was at one with the firmament.” – Marc Chagall

Additional Resources

Fantasies for the Stage

LACMA’s 2018 exploring the role of music and dance in Chagall’s work.

Documentary Film

Watch the 1964 Academy Award-winning documentary short.

Why Is Marc Chagall The Most Influential Jewish Artist?

Flux Magazine highlights the characteristics of Chagall’s legacy.

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Other Works by Marc Chagall

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