Chagall: Fantasies For The Stage
Chagall: Fantasies for the Stage, the first U.S. exhibition to spotlight the principal role that music and dance played in Marc Chagall’s artistic career, is open to the public in The Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Concentrating on four theatrical productions created over a quarter century (Aleko, The Firebird, Daphnis and Chloe, The Magic Flute), the exhibition comprises 145 objects, including 41 vibrant costumes; nearly 100 preparatory sketches; rare 1942 film footage of the original performance of Aleko; musical accompaniments for each section; and a selection of paintings depicting musicians and theatrical scenes. Chagall: Fantasies for the Stage is adapted from the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts exhibition Chagall: Colour and Music (January 29 – June 7, 2017), initiated by the Cité de la Musique – Philharmonie de Paris (October 13, 2015 – January 31, 2016), and La Piscine – Musée d’art et d’industrie André Diligent, Roubaix (October 24, 2015 – January 31, 2016), with the support of the Chagall estate. Opera designer Yuval Sharon and projection designer Jason H. Thompson have created the exhibition design.
Marc Chagall, Study for Backdrop for Aleko: A Fantasy of St. Petersburg (Scene IV)
Museum of Modern Art, New York, acquired through the Lillie P. Bliss Bequest, 1945, © 2017 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/ADAGP, Paris, digital image © 2017 The Museum of Modern Art/licensed by SCALA/Art Resource, NY
TITLE: Marc Chagall, Study for Backdrop for Aleko: A Fantasy of St. Petersburg (Scene IV)
MEDIUM: Gouache, watercolor, and graphite on paper
DIMENSIONS: 15 × 22 3/8 inches
YEAR: 1942
Marc Chagall, Costume Design for The Firebird: Green Monster
private collection, © 2017 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/ADAGP, Paris.
TITLE: Marc Chagall, Costume Design for The Firebird: Green Monster
MEDIUM: Watercolor, gouache, and india ink on paper
DIMENSIONS: 17 × 14 inches
YEAR: 1945
PHOTO: © 2017 Archives Marc et Ida Chagall, Paris
Marc Chagall, Costume Design for The Firebird: Blue-and-Yellow Monster from Koschei’s Palace Guard
Private collection, © 2017 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/ADAGP, Paris
TITLE: Marc Chagall, Costume Design for The Firebird: Blue-and-Yellow Monster from Koschei’s Palace Guard
MEDIUM: Watercolor, gouache, graphite, and india ink on paper
DIMENSIONS: 18 5/16 × 11 7/16 inches
YEAR: 1945
PHOTO: © 2017 Archives Marc et Ida Chagall, Paris
Marc Chagall, Study for Backdrop for Aleko: A Fantasy of St. Petersburg (Scene IV)
Private collection, © 2017 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/ADAGP, Paris
TITLE: Marc Chagall, Variation on the Theme of The Magic Flute: Papageno
MEDIUM: Watercolor, gouache, ink, and fabric collage on Japan paper
DIMENSIONS: 24 3/16 × 17 11/16 inches
YEAR: 1966–67
PHOTO: © 2017 Archives Marc et Ida Chagall, Paris
Artists have long been inspired to expand their practices by engaging in compelling collaborations with the ballet, theatre, and opera, and Chagall was at the forefront of such interdisciplinary efforts among modern artists in creating inventive visual environments for the stage. Working with theatrical companies and opera houses in Russia, Mexico, New York, and Paris, Chagall created fantastical and cutting-edge designs. He collaborated on sets for Sergei Diaghilev’s ‘Ballets Russes’ as early as 1911, and his deep and far-reaching engagement with music and dance continued throughout his long career.
Marc Chagall, Costumes for Daphnis and Chloe: Shepherdesses
Paris, Opéra national, © 2017 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/ADAGP, Paris
TITLE: Marc Chagall, Costumes for Daphnis and Chloe: Shepherdesses
MEDIUM: Watercolor, gouache, ink, and fabric collage on Japan paper
YEAR: 1959
PHOTO: © 2017 Museum Associates/LACMA
Costume for The Magic Flute: Sarastro
Metropolitan Opera Archives, New York, © 2017 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/ADAGP, Paris
TITLE: Costume for The Magic Flute: Sarastro
MEDIUM: Silk plain weave, painted, with silk plain weave and metallic appliqués
YEAR: 1967
PHOTO: © 2017 Museum Associates/LACMA
Marc Chagall, Costume for The Magic Flute: Green-Faced Monster (with Reproduction Mask)
Metropolitan Opera Archives, New York, © 2017 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/ADAGP, Paris
TITLE: Marc Chagall, Costume for The Magic Flute: Green-Faced Monster (with Reproduction Mask)
MEDIUM: Cotton knit, painted, with synthetic/lurex plain weave appliqués, silk plain weave (chiffon) appliqués, synthetic knit, painted, and papier-mâché
YEAR: 1967
PHOTO: © 2017 Museum Associates/LACMA
“By focusing on these four productions created during and after his wartime exile in New York, this exhibition brings to the public’s awareness a lesser known but riveting aspect of Chagall’s career, which began in pre-Revolutionary Russia and traversed the breadth of the 20th century,” said Barron. “Chagall’s work for the stage is an important early chapter in the history of visual artists who have engaged in similar interdisciplinary collaborations that have immeasurably enriched the history of modern art.”
TITLE: Marc Chagall working on the panels for New York’s Metropolitan Opera: The Triumph of Music, Atelier de Gobelins
ART: © 2017 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/ADAGP, Paris
YEAR: Paris, 1966
PHOTO: © 2017 Isiz-Manuel Bidermanas
TITLE: Marc Chagall working on the panels for New York’s Metropolitan Opera: The Triumph of Music, Atelier de Gobelins
YEAR: Paris, 1966
ART: © 2017 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/ADAGP, Paris
PHOTO: © 2017 Isiz-Manuel Bidermanas
Marc Chagall, The Magic Flute
Metropolitan Opera, New York, © 2017 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York/ADAGP, Paris
TITLE: Marc Chagall, The Magic Flute
YEAR: February 1967
PHOTO: Frank Dunand/Metropolitan Opera Archives
