NEW ORLEANS (press release) – M.S. Rau will unveil its new exhibition Dreaming in Color: Chagall and His Circle, featuring approx. 30 works by the Belorussian-born French artist and his contemporaries, on Nov. 1. The show, which is free and open to the public, will be on display at 622 Royal St. through Jan. 4, 2025. Additionally, the works will be featured in a virtual exhibit offered online at MSRau.com.
Dreaming in Color will explore the Jewish artist’s and his contemporaries’ use of color as a language that communicates across genres, subjects and senses to forge new artistic realities. The overall focus will be on the themes of love, home and the natural world. The exhibition will highlight Chagall’s works from across his oeuvre accompanied by those of iconic artists, including Henri Matisse, Kees van Dongen, Louis Valtat, Jean Dufy, Moïse Kisling, Henri Martin, Jane Peterson and more.
As an early modernist, Chagall’s repertory of images – including massive bouquets, melancholy clowns, flying lovers, fantastic animals, biblical prophets, and fiddlers on roofs – helped to make him one of the most popular major innovators of the 20th century. He presented dreamlike subject matter in rich colors and fluid, painterly style that – while reflecting an awareness of artistic movements such as Expressionism, Cubism and even abstraction – remained invariably personal.
“Chagall’s paintings are windows into a world of boundless imagination and profound emotion,” says Bill Rau, owner of M.S. Rau, in a press release about the new exhibition. “We are thrilled to offer this rare opportunity to experience the magic of his work firsthand. By showcasing Chagall alongside his contemporaries, we hope to illuminate the vibrancy of one of the most pivotal artistic circles of the 20th century.”
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