Palazzo della Ragione, Mantua
5 September 2018 – 13 January 2019
Opening 4 September 2018
Marc Chagall: as in painting, so in poetry is held at Palazzo della Ragione, a medieval monument in the city center, restored to the city precisely in September after a long, complex process of renovation.
The show includes over 130 works including the complete cycle of the 7 paintings created by Chagall in 1920 for the Jewish Theater of Moscow: extraordinary works that represent the most revolutionary and least nostalgic period of his career.
The works represent an exceptional loan from the State Tretyakov Gallery of Moscow, a rare opportunity for Italy: they were shown in Milan in 1994 and in Rome in 1999 after being exhibited in 1992 at the Guggenheim in New York, and in 1993 at the Art Institute of Chicago.
The exhibition also features the reconstruction of the environment of the Jewish Theater, i.e. a ‘box’ of about 40 square meters for which Chagall made not only wall paintings but also the works for the ceiling and the curtain, as well as costumes and sets for three theater pieces.
A selection of emblematic works by Chagall from 1911 to 1918 will accompany the immersive installation, as well as etchings made from 1923 to 1939.
The show on Marc Chagall (Vitebsk, 7 July 1887 – Saint-Paul-de-Vence, 28 March 1985), curated by Gabriella Di Milia, in collaboration with the State Tretyakov Gallery of Moscow, is supported by the City of Mantua and organized and produced with the publishing house Electa.
Chagall marks the first step of three years of programming on the 20th century at Palazzo della Ragione, coordinated by the City of Mantua with Electa.
The show will be accompanied by a catalogue published by Electa, illustrating the influences absorbed by Chagall while living in Vitebsk, St. Petersburg, Paris and Moscow, and also narrating the fascination with the Russian painter on poets, artists and writers during his lifetime.
For more info www.chagallmantova.it
