Lot 5 - Marc Chagall (Russian-French, b. 1887) To Russia, Asses, and Others - 1945, print (signed)

From the great Twentieth Century modernist.

Starting bid: $650
Estimated value: $1200-$2800
Buyer's premium: 18%

DESCRIPTION:
Marc Chagall (Russian-French, b. 1887) To Russia, Asses, and Others - 1945, print pasted onto book page and framed, signed by the artist and dated 1946

Dimensions - approx. 11 inches x 13.5 inches, framed

The work here is a print of a piece originally created in 1919. It was once a page in a book titled *Marc Chagall*, printed in 1945 by Pierre Matisse Editions, with the illustration hand-pasted onto the page. Multiple pages of the book were signed by Chagall as part of a gift given to Carl Schniewind, then the curator of the Art institute of Chicago. Since then, this page was removed from the book and framed, as you see here.


PROVENANCE:
The collection of Carl Schniewind, then curator at the Art Institute of Chicago (acquired as a gift from the artist, 1946)
Private collection, Madeira, Portugal
Fabio Pinto, in conjunction with Shapiro Books of London (acquired from the above)
K Gallery of Ohio (acquired from the above before 2014)
Acquired from the above by the present owner

This piece comes with a certificate of authenticity from K Gallery, as well as a facsimile of the authentication done by Comité Marc Chagall regarding the book it was a part of, as well as some supporting documents of the page's placement in the original book for reference.


ABOUT:
Chagall was born in the Pale of Settlement of the Russian Empire and grew up to be one of the most prominent artists of the 20th Century as a member of the modernist avant-garde. Chagall and Picasso were close friends for about 20 years. In fact Pablo Picasso once said that "When Matisse dies, Chagall will be the only painter left who understands what color really is." Unfortunately their friendship supposedly ended after Chagall made a remark about Picasso at a party saying: "What a genius, that Picasso… It's a pity he doesn't paint."

Chagall’s work often focuses on Eastern European and Jewish folklore, with exhibitions of his work at museums such as the Louvre and the Grande Palais in Paris, and permanent displays at the Lincoln Center, the ceiling of the Paris Opera, and the Art Institute of Chicago, to which the piece here is directly connected.