Sale: Massol, Paris, 12th December 2002, lot 74
Purchased at the above sale by the present owner

Osaka, Takashimaya Art Gallery (& travelling in Japan), Marc Chagall, 2012, no, 13, illustrated in colour in the catalogue

Oil on board laid down on board. The boards are stable and there appear to be no signs of retouching visible under UV light. There is some wear to the extreme upper and right edges. There are a few spots of paint loss, most notably to the upper left corner, the lower right corner and the right part of the lower edge. Otherwise, this work is in very good condition.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Executed in 1953, La Place Du Tertre depicts a famous square in the heart of Montmartre that is imbued with a sense of magic and the fantastical through Marc Chagall’s vibrant use of colour and dream-like motifs.  Although he had settled in Vence by this time, Paris continued to remain an important reference in Chagall’s post-war works. Central to the rhythmic composition within the present work is a floating female form with anthropomorphic features. Alluding to his childhood home of Vitebsk, this state of metamorphosis can be seen as an extension of his series of Fables based on La Fontaine’s tales and published the previous year. Combining the influences of his Slavic folk spirit from his rural Russian upbringing and his new home in France, this pictorial world is one of mystic fantasy and nostalgic magic. Whimsical motifs are juxtaposed in ambiguous spatial relations, where an enigmatic topography emphasises the dream-like nature of the work. An inverted tree appears parallel to another organic element, highlighting Chagall’s spiritual connection with the cyclic destiny of nature. The vibrant palette is dominated by swaths of passionate red, whilst touches of white and yellow convey a moonlit luminosity.

An underlying sentiment in Chagall’s œuvre is the intimate parallel with art and life, as the artist said: ‘In life, just as on the artist’s palette, there is but one single color that gives meaning to life and art – the color of love’ (quoted in Jacob Baal-Teshuva, Chagall, Cologne, 1998, p. 10). The theme of the lovers, an important motif within Chagall’s work, represents his renewed romanticism and stability with his new wife Valentina Brodsky, or “Vava”, after the death of his beloved first wife Bella and the traumatic devastation of the war. Ultimately, La Place Du Tertre underlines the true essence of the artist’s production with fantastic motifs and 🙈an ♛enchanting atmosphere.