Chagall

Paris: Maeght Éditeur, 1957 Illustrated by Marc Chagall with fifteen original lithographs (thirteen in color, including wrappers, frontispiece, and four fold-outs, and two in b/w) printed by Mourlot Frères, and other color and b/w plates throughout. Text in French by Jacques Lassaigne. First edition, first printing. Publisher's pictorial wrappers, with Chagall artwork to front and rear wrappers, and spine printed in black. Near fine, with a touch of rubbing to head of spine, wrappers and spine very bright except for some light toning to foot of spine, small chip to bottom right of front wrapper, and slight creases to edges of pp. 23-38 and edge of fold-out between pp. 80-81. Overall, a beautiful and scarce art book, with exceptionally bright pages and lithographs. Marc Chagall (1887 -1985) was one of the most important modernist artists of the 20th century, known for his lyricism, incorporation of Jewish symbolism, and masterful use of color. Born to a Jewish family near Vitebsk, Chagall moved to St. Petersburg in 1906 to study drawing and painting, and then to Paris in 1910, where he was influenced by Cubism, Fauvism and other schools of modern art. Later in his career, Chagall worked on unique projects, like designing the set and costumes for Stravinsky's The Firebird (1945), creating stained-glass windows for various institutions, and painting frescoes on the ceiling of the historic opera house, Palais Garnier (1964). Jacques Lassaigne (1911 - 1983) was a French art historian and critic, who held the role of chief curator of the Musée d'Art Moderne de Paris (1971 - 1978). His other scholarly books on Chagall include Marc Chagall: The Ceiling of the Paris Opera: Sketches, Drawings, and Paintings (1966), Chagall: Unpublished Drawings (1968), and Marc Chagall: Drawings and Water Colors for the Ballet (1969). . First Edition. Original Wraps. Near Fine. Illus. by Chagall, Marc.