Born Moishe/Marc Shagal in 1887, Marc Chagall was one of the most influential modernist artists of the 20th century. He was a painter, book illustrator, ceramicist, stained-glass painter, stage set designer and tapestry maker. His unique style of painting, known for bold use of color and symbolism, has been compared to poetry. Chagall paintings are often dreamlike depictions of love (especially for his wife Bella) and life as he knew it as a young Russian Jewish boy, and later in France, his adopted home, where he was a pioneer of the École de Paris.

Chagall grew up near Vitebsk in modern day Belarus. His family were considered outsiders and faced difficult circumstances in a society hostile to Jewish people. Still, he had fond memories of his early life and incorporated images of his small town and the life of his deeply religious Hasidic Jewish parents in his art. Chagall is celebrated as a significant figure in Jewish art.

Throughout his career, Chagall incorporated elements from many schools of modern art, including Cubism, Fauvism, Symbolism, Surrealism, and Futurism. 

Chagall's life story is full of drama. Beginning in 1937, about 20,000 works of art were confiscated from German museums by Nazi authorities as "degenerate," including work by Chagall, who had previously been praised by German art critics.

After Germany invaded and occupied France, Chagall, his wife Bella, and daughter Ida escaped the Nazis in 1941. They were among some 2,000 people who were part of a rescue operation to smuggle artists and intellectuals out of Europe to the U.S. by providing them with forged visas. In a tribute to the U.S., Chagall said, "I lived here in America during the inhuman war in which humanity deserted itself ... Above all, I am impressed by the greatness of this country and the freedom that it gives."
 

After the death of his wife Bella in 1944, Chagall had lost his muse and his desire to create art. Eventually, he resumed his work, and he returned to France in 1947, where he remained until his death in 1985. 

Learn more about Marc Chagall: https://www.marcchagall.net/

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