EXHIBITION RECORD
Marc Chagall: The Early Etchings from the 1920s

Saturday, July 16, 2005 through Sunday, August 28, 2005

An exhibit of 65 early etchings by Marc Chagall produced in Paris for the art dealer Ambrose Vollard. The first commission from Vollard came in 1923. Chagall was asked to illustrate on of a series of etchings selected from a list provided to the artist; but it was Chagall’s suggestion that he illustrate the work of the Russian novelist Nikolai Gogol entitles Les Ames Morts (The Dead Souls). The novel was published in the 19th century under the heading The Adventures of Chichikov, to soften the tile as a statement against serfdomism. It was Chagall’s desire to illustrate images that depicted what he knew best – Russian village life.