Auktion 277 : Marc Chagall - Forty Paintings 17.06.2022

Marc Chagall in New York, 1941–1943 After the outbreak of the World War II the family moved out of Paris to live south of the Loire. In 1941, following an invitation from the Museum of Modern Art, Chagall fled to New York at the very last moment and went into exile in North America. There he increasingly devoted himself to the art of his native country and again created set designs and costumes, for example for performances of the ballet Aleko by Peter Tchaikovsky or the ballet The Firebird by Igor Stravinsky. From their exile the family followed the events unfolding in war-torn Europe, the place they loved so much. At the beginning of 1944, only a few days before their planned return journey to France, Bella died unex­ pectedly as a result of a viral infection. Chagall was so distressed by the loss of his beloved wife and muse that he was unable to work for nine months.