The catalogue raisonné of Marc Chagall’s ceramics lists 350 ceramics made between 1949 and 1972 (vases, plates, dishes, tiles and plaques).
Each ceramic has a reference number confirming its inclusion in the catalogue. The sculptures in the catalogue are presented in chronological order, with no technical or thematic distinctions. The techniques used for the catalogue raisonné are based on research and observation of the ceramics with restorers. Chagall experimented with an innovative range of techniques that are still being studied, so knowledge about them is evolving and sometimes hypothetical.
The scientific research for the catalogue raisonné of Chagall’s sculptures was carried out by the team of researchers from the Association des amis de Marc Chagall in collaboration with the Comité Marc Chagall and the Archives Marc et Ida Chagall in Paris.
Ambre Gauthier provided the scientific direction for the catalogue raisonné and coordinated the research. Sofiya Glukhova and Quitterie du Vigier were responsible for research and image research, and Eva Berlgherbi for scientific documentation and bibliographical research. Ambre Gauthier, Sofiya Glukhova and Quitterie Touzet du Vigier wrote the texts of the catalogue raisonné, which is based on the systematic study of the holdings and documentation in the Archives Marc et Ida Chagall, documents in all the identified and available archives and prior research by Meret Meyer and Sylvie Forestier for the book Les céramiques de Marc Chagall published by Albin Michel in 1990.
The exhibition curated by Bruno Gaudichon, Josephine Matamoros and Dominique Forest for the Musée d’art et d’industrie André Diligent-La Piscine in Roubaix, the Musée d’art modern in Céret and the Musée Magnelli-Musée de la céramique in Vallauris, La Terre est si lumineuse, in 2007-2008, were major milestones in knowledge about the ceramics and their presentation to the public.
The restoration and research work carried out on Marc Chagall's ceramics by Sandrine and Benoît Coignard since 1989 has also been a source of new knowledge about the materials and techniques the artist used.
The catalogue raisonné of Marc Chagall's work is the result of a scientific approach whose field of study is necessarily dynamic. It may therefore be revised, edited, and enriched with new data. All information brought to the attention of the research team will be studied and verified. The Association des amis de Marc Chagall makes no guarantees with regard to the catalogue raisonné or its content, including its exhaustive nature or accuracy. The content of the Marc Chagall catalogue raisonné amounts to a statement of the opinion of its director and its authors. The content is based on the scientific interpretation of information by its director and authors as well as the circumstances known at the time these statements were made.
Acknowledgements
Our deepest thanks go to Céline Graziani and Michaël Negro of the Musée Magnelli-Musée de la céramique in Vallauris for their support and constant help during this project and for their in-depth research into the revival of ceramics in the South of France and the ceramic work of Marc Chagall.
We would like to thank the Ida Chagall and Michel Brodsky estate, Bella and Meret Meyer for their ongoing support and for making this project possible through their trust, knowledge and passion.
Our sincere thanks go to Alain Ramié and Laura Van Hagen for sharing their family memories and the history of the Madoura studio in Vallauris with us.
We would like to thank Yves Peltier for his help in understanding the historical and political context of Vallauris in the first half of the 20th century.
We are deeply grateful to Isabelle Maeght and the Maeght Gallery for their availability and help with our research.
Thank you to Sandrine and Benoît Coignard for their expertise and the restoration work they carried out on the ceramics of Marc Chagall, which helped us deepen knowledge of his techniques and creative processes.
Thanks as well to the entire team at the Marc Chagall National Museum, to Grégory Couderc and to Marie Nerot, who contributed to in-depth knowledge of the ceramics in the museum’s collections.
For their precious contributions to the research that helped enrich our knowledge and establish the catalogue raisonné of ceramics, we thank:
Marc Larock and the Larock-Granoff Gallery; Yves and Marc Lebouc; Johanne Lindskog; Anne-Laure Lassaigne; Josephène Matamoros; Dominique Sassi; Agnès Stankevitch; Marie Ben-Aych; Pascal Marzin Fabrice Gousset; Marie-Anne Villars; Ewald Graber.
We also thank all the institutions and private collectors who contributed to this project and wish to remain anonymous
