Marc Chagall (1887–1985) was a Russian and French artist of Jewish ancestry and an early modernist associated with the École de Paris. Born on July 7, 1887, near Vitebsk, he developed a unique style of modern art inspired by Eastern European and Jewish folklore. He worked across many formats, including painting, stained glass, book illustration, ceramics, tapestries, and stage design.
Chagall studied in Saint Petersburg before moving to Paris in 1910, where he encountered major artistic movements such as Cubism, Symbolism, and Fauvism. During World War I, he returned to Russia, becoming a leading avant-garde artist and founding the Vitebsk Museum of Modern Art and People’s Art School. After the hardships following the Bolshevik Revolution, he left for Paris again in 1923.
During World War II, Chagall fled occupied France and lived in New York City for seven years before returning to France in 1948. Over his career, he created notable stained glass works for major institutions, including cathedrals in Reims and Metz, the Fraumünster in Zürich, the United Nations, and the Art Institute of Chicago. He also produced large-scale works such as the ceiling of the Paris Opéra.
Throughout his life, Chagall remained deeply connected to his Jewish heritage, and his art has been described as a dreamlike reflection of life in his native Vitebsk. He died on March 28, 1985, in Saint-Paul-de-Vence.
