1961 Photolithograph Chagall Tribe of Reuben Stained Glass Window Judaism Art

This is an original 1961 color photolithograph of the Blessing on the Tribe of Joseph stained glass window by Marc Chagall in the Abbell Synagogue at the Hadassah University Medical Center in Jerusalem.

CONDITION

This 54+ year old Item is rated Near Mint. No creases. No surface rub. No tears. No water damage.

• Product Type: Orig. Photolithograph; Color
• Grade: Near Mint
• Dimensions: Approximately 6.75 x 9.25 inches; 17 x 23 cm
• Authentication: Serial-Numbered Certificate of Authenticity w/ Full Provenance
• Protection: Packaged in a custom archival sleeve with an acid-free black board (great for display, gift-giving, and preservation)

In the early 1960's the Russian-French artist, Marc Chagall, was commissioned to create stained glass windows for the Abbell Synagogue at the Hadassah University Medical Center in Jerusalem. Using the Old Testament (Hebrew) Bible as his inspiration, these radiant windows are full of vivid imagery and Jewish symbols, reflecting Chagall's interpretation of the Blessings of Jacob and Moses on the Twelve Tribes of Israel.

This piece was illustrated by Chagall, Marc.

Marc Chagall

Marc Chagall (1887-1985), the celebrated Jewish artist, is remembered for his early modernist work, which incorporated elements of Fauvism, Cubism, and Symbolism. Pablo Picasso said of him, "When Matisse dies, Chagall will be the only painter left who understands what color really is." Ambroise Vollard, the French art dealer, commissioned Chagall to create The Bible illustrations for the Old Testament (a series that won Chagall much praise), although unfortunately, he passed away before the project saw completion. Chagall could have completed the series in France, but instead traveled to Palestine, and became completely immersed in the history of Jews. He worked obsessively on the series, and traveled to Amsterdam to study the religious paintings of Rembrandt and El Greco. Chagall perceived the Old Testament as a human story, and portrays his characters as such. As Chagall was working on these pieces, the Third Reich was rising to power in Germany, and although the Germans had once swooned over his paintings, the pieces were classified as degenerate art, and destroyed. Chagall was located in France at the time, and in October of 1940, began to see Germany as a threat to his safety. With the help of Alfred Barr of the New York Museum of Modern Art, Chagall's name was added to the list of European artists the United States should try saving. Chagall received a forged United States visa and was able to flee the country in May of 1941 with his unfinished Bible series.

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