The Marc Chagall National Museum (Chagall Biblical Message) is a French national
museum dedicated to the work of painter
Marc Chagall
Marc Chagall; russian: link=no, Марк Заха́рович Шага́л ; be, Марк Захаравіч Шагал . (born Moishe Shagal; 28 March 1985) was a Russian-French artist. An early modernism, modernist, he was associated with se ...
- essentially his works inspired by religion - located in
Nice in the
Alpes-Maritimes
Alpes-Maritimes (; oc, Aups Maritims; it, Alpi Marittime, "Maritime Alps") is a department of France located in the country's southeast corner, on the Italian border and Mediterranean coast. Part of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, it ...
.
History
The museum was created during the lifetime of the artist, with the support of the Minister of Culture
André Malraux, and inaugurated in 1973. It is also known as the "National Museum Marc Chagall Biblical Message" ("Musée national message biblique Marc Chagall") as it houses the series of seventeen paintings illustrating the biblical message, painted by Chagall and offered to the French State in 1966. This series illustrates the books of
Genesis
Genesis may refer to:
Bible
* Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of mankind
* Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Book of ...
,
Exodus
Exodus or the Exodus may refer to:
Religion
* Book of Exodus, second book of the Hebrew Torah and the Christian Bible
* The Exodus, the biblical story of the migration of the ancient Israelites from Egypt into Canaan
Historical events
* Ex ...
and the
Song of Songs.
Chagall himself provided detailed instructions about the creation of the garden by Henri Fish, and decided the place of each of his works in the museum. The chronological order of the works was not followed.
Chagall created the mosaic which overlooks the pond and the blue stained glasses that decorate the concert hall; he also wanted an annual exhibition to be held on a topic related to the spiritual and religious history of the world.
As the collection has grown, what was a museum illustrating the theme Biblical message has become a monographic museum dedicated to Chagall's works of religious and spiritual inspiration. In 1972, the artist gave the museum all the preparatory sketches of the ''Message Biblique'' as well as
stained glass
Stained glass is coloured glass as a material or works created from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant religious buildings. Although tradition ...
and sculptures, and in 1986, the museum acquired, in lieu of inheritance taxes, the complete drawings and
gouaches painted to depict the Exodus and ten other paintings, which includes the triptych named ''Résistance, Résurrection, Libération''. Other acquisitions complemented the museum's collections, which now has one of the largest collection of works by Marc Chagall.
See also
*
List of artworks by Marc Chagall
*
List of single-artist museums
*
Marc Chagall Museum
The Marc Chagall Museum ( be, Віцебскі музей Марка Шагала) is a museum dedicated to the painter Marc Chagall, in his hometown of Vitebsk, Belarus. The museum was founded by the decision of the Vitebsk City Executive Comm ...
References
External links
Official Musée Marc Chagall website
{{ACArt
Musee Marc Chagall
Art museums and galleries in France
Museums in Nice
Biographical museums in France
Museums devoted to one artist
National museums of France
Art museums established in 1973
Musee Marc Chagall