Chagall Marc

1966 · réf. 57375 — Paris New-York New York: Léon Amiel 1966. Fine. Léon Amiel Paris • New-York New York 1966 36 x 49.50 cm une feuille Original color lithograph one of 15 proofs on Japon impérial paper reserved for the artist and his collaborators the only printing with 20 more on Japon and 250 on Arches paper. Unsigned proof as all proofs in this series other than the frontispiece. A superb proof on Japon paper specially made for The Story of Exodus published in 1966 for which Chagall made 24 hors-text lithographs printed by Mourlot. An exceedingly rare original proof on Japon paper the most attractive and best for color lithographs. Fernand Mourlot was undoubtedly the finest lithographic printer of the 20th century and was thus the friend and printer to the leading artists of his day. “Picasso Matisse Chagall Miró Braque Dubuffet Léger Giacometti…added to their own expression and contemporary art a new field of research. With Mourlot and thanks to him lithography acquired both a personality and a future” Pierre Cabanne in Cinquante années de lithographie. Having already printed two volumes of the Bible illustrated by Chagall Mourlot contributed to the artist's lithographic training in the 1950s. It was during this period that Chagall began to visit Mourlot's workshop regularly in order to learn lithographic techniques and that he developed bonds of friendship with the staff of the workshop most notably Charles Sorlier. It was thus at the peak of his powers that Chagall made this story of Exodus which coincided with the termination of his immense lithographic and pictoral work on the Bible undertaken in 1930 at the urging of Ambroise Vollard. This decorative cycle entitled Le Message Biblique The Biblical Message was in fact the basis for the creation of the Chagall Museum originally called the Musée national du message biblique Marc-Chagall. Léon Amiel unknown