An exhibition on little-known facts of Chagall's life in New York has opened in Vitebsk

Vitebsk is preparing to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the wedding of Marc Chagall and Bella Rosenfeld. The first event is an exhibition dedicated to a little-studied period of the couple's life in New York. It is being held at the "Art Space at Tolstoho, 7" of the Vitebsk Center for Contemporary Art (VCCA).

Numerous works are dedicated to the biography of the famous artist, but there are only scattered facts about the period of Marc Chagall and Bella's life in New York, explained the director of the VCCA, Andrey Dukhounikov.

An art critic from Vitebsk, Svetlana (who modestly asked not to disclose her last name), tried to bring them together. She visited places in New York associated with the artist and his muse, and their stay in the United States from June 1941 to September 1944, when Bella died.

"Also in New York, I met with Chagall's granddaughter, Bella Meyer, who has her own studio and flower shop in Manhattan," added the exhibition's author.

The exhibition "Chagall, Bella, and New York" features photographs of the places where the couple lived and where the artist worked. These include hotels, Central Park, near which the couple rented an apartment, the Museum of Modern Art, and the New School, which housed the famous Atelier 17 studio that Marc Chagall loved to visit, and so on.

The exhibition also helps to learn about the people who played an important role in the fate of Marc and Bella during that period. For example, it was the director of the Museum of Modern Art, Alfred Barr, who acted as a financial guarantor so that the couple could come to the United States from France. And Pierre Matisse, who met them off the ship, and it was at his gallery that Chagall had three exhibitions.

Russian choreographer Leonid Massine suggested that the artist create 4 backdrops and costumes for the ballet "Aleko." Bella helped her husband sew over 70 costumes. The ballet itself was not as colossal a success as the scenery. Thanks to the production, Chagall became known in New York.

This served as a catalyst for a new period in his work: the artist began to create stage sets for operas. And New York gained another creator from a whole galaxy of talented European emigrants who turned the city into a cultural center of the United States.

In Vitebsk, on July 25 – the 100th anniversary of the wedding of Marc Chagall and Bella Rosenfeld, as well as the following day, a series of cultural and festive events called "Wedding Fairytale" is planned.

Ekaterina Knyazeva, BELTA