Estate of the artist
Private Collection, Switzerland (acquired from the above in May 1997 and sold: Sotheby's, New York, November 6, 2003, lot 244)
Acquired at the above sale

The board is sound. The surface is richly textured and the colors are bright and fresh. Under UV light, certain original pigments fluoresce. There are possible small stokes of inpainting along the extreme upper edge. The work is in excellent 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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Chagall’s enchanting image, L'Artiste sur les toits, is an evocative dream-like vision, a composition that captures some of the artist’s most emblematic motifs and illustrates his passion for color and light. Painted in his later years, this jewel-like oil stems from a time when the artist was nostalgic for his youth while celebrating the joyful and tranquil life he made in Saint-Paul-de-Vence with his wife Valentina Brodsky. A vibrant bouquet of flowers rises above ethereal rooftops, a motif which Chagall had employed since the 1920s, once saying the flowers represented his adopted home country of France. 

Chagall found a strong affinity between painting and dreaming, themes beautifully reflected in this composition. An all-encompassing blue sapphire pigment sets the stage, meanwhile emphasizing the artist’s pictorial iconography, including the artist at his easel painting an inverted figure. Picasso, who lived near Chagall during his years in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, once spoke to Francoise Gilot of his palette: “When Matisse dies, Chagall will be the only painter left who understands what color is… His canvases are really painted, not just tossed together. Some of the last things he’s done in Vence convince me that there’s never been anybody since Renoir who has the feeling for light that Chagall has” (quoted in Françoise Gilot, Life with Picasso, New York, 1989, p. 282).