Wartime Provence

"The Madonna of the Village"
Marc Chagall, c. 1940-41

In the cold of the mid-winter, my thoughts have been turning to the warmth of Provence. I am eagerly anticipating the workshop there this summer with Maggie Siner. Our hosts, David Atkinson and Liz Evans, write a wonderful blog about life in the little hamlet of Les Bassacs. The blog sometimes focuses on artists who have roots in the South of France. Just recently, they wrote about the great modernist artist Marc Chagall. His story is a fascinating one, and the journeys of the painting shown above, "The Madonna of the Village", are worthy of a thriller.

Chagall had emigrated in 1910 from Russia to Paris, where he was part of the artistic avant-garde that was changing the face of the arts. Their modern, expressionist art was attacked by the Nazis, who favored traditional German, realist art. In 1940, Chagall made the decision to leave Paris, because his work was under such criticism from the occupying Germans. Being Jewish, Chagall was concerned about being arrested, or worse. He moved to the village of Gordes, in the Luberon area of Provence. By all accounts, he was happy and productive in Gordes, and work proceeded on "The Madonna of the Village". Unfortunately, however, he was not safe even in Gordes from the risks of deportation.

Varian Fry (left) visiting the Chagalls, and posing
with "The Madonna of the Village" painting in Gordes

To the rescue came Varian Fry. Fry was head of a private American relief organization that aided refugees threatened by the Nazis. He assembled an elaborate rescue network (detailed in his book Surrender on Demand). Fry helped over 1500 artists, writers, musicians and other cultural elites to escape France and the Gestapo. Chagall was one of those he spirited safely to America. 

Chagall took over 600 kilos of paintings to America with him, including the "Madonna of the Village". You can read all about the perils of his trip here. The painting was eventually shown at the Museum of Modern Art in 1946, as part of the first retrospective of Chagall's work (photo below). As the Museo Thyssen-Bornenisza writes:

The Madonna of the Village was the mute witness to that long journey in which it and other works by the artist were obliged to experience the hazards of travel in a continent at war in order to finally be displayed with honour in the new world capital of art.

After the war, in 1947, Chagall returned permanently to France. He lived on the Cote d'Azur, in the company of Matisse, Braque and Picasso.  He went on to create an extensive body of work, including painting the ceiling of the Paris Opera House, shown below.