Auktion 277 : Marc Chagall - Forty Paintings 17.06.2022

18 Le cirque rouge, esquisse (175000.–) Oil and Indian ink on canvas 1956–1960 35.3×27 cm Signature stamp of the estate “Marc /Chagall”, lower middle Confirmation of authenticity (no. 2022073) from the Comité Marc Chagall, Paris, dated 18 May 2022 Fresh in colours and in very good condition Chagall’s preoccupation with the theme of the circus in a wide variety of techniques intensified in the 1950s and 1960s, culminating in coloured lithographs for the publica- tion Le Cirque by Tériade Éditeur, Paris, published in 1967. Chagall had explored the lithographs’ compositions in preparatory paintings and gouaches. One senses Chagall’s close connection to set and costume design in the dense, free composition Le cirque rouge, 1956–60, oil on canvas, 130.5×97.5cm, private collection ▲ I have swallowed your moon / The dream of your innocence/ To become your angel Marc Chagall, from the poem Si mon soleil, 1945–1950 * J’ai avalé ta lune Le rêve de ton innocence Pour devenir ton ange