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Vintage Chagall Posters @ L'Affichiste...

Posted by karen ETINGIN on December 10, 2011 0 Comments

Fun fact for Trivial Pursuit Fans: Marc Chagall's name, at birth: Moishe Shagal (who knew?)

Marc Chagall was arguably one of the most successful artists of the 20th century. Born in Russia is 1887, he was the eldest of nine children. His father was a herring merchant and his mother sold groceries from their home. Both were extremely pious, and it has been said that it was this early exposure to the Jewish religion that gave birth to Chagall's notably religious themes. It has been said that "Chagall's art can be understood as the response to a situation that has long marked the history of Russian Jews. Though they were cultural innovators who made important contributions to the broader society, Jews were considered outsiders in a frequently hostile society ... Chagall himself was born of a family steeped in religious life; his parents were observant Hasidic Jews who found spiritual satisfaction in a life defined by their faith and organized by prayer" (Susan Tumarkin, Marc Chgall: Early Works from Russian Collections).

Chagall was an early modernist who created works in virtually every artistic medium, inlcuding painting, book illustrations, stained galss, stage sets, ceramics,tapestries and fine art prints (wikipedia). Pablo Picasso is said to have remarked that "When Matisse dies, Chagall will be the only painter left who understands what colour really is."

Many of Chagall's early posters were printed by the Galerie Maeght - a gallery and printing house with important cultural traditions in France. Originally begun in Cannes in 1936, the Paris office of Maeght opened in 1946 and has been continually in family hands since then. Maeght, like Mourlot, another significant Parisian poster publishing house, is synonymous with elegance, refinement and style.

L'Affichiste is fortunate to have received a large collection of Chagall posters. Originally purchased in Paris, the posters are all in excellent condition. They include Chagall's Hommage a Louis Aragon, The Artist as Phoenix, L'Oiseau Vert and a limited edition poster of the Paris Opera House ceiling (which is framed).

All of these posters are available for sale on our site, and are currently being exhibited in our Montreal gallery.