AN EXHIBITION AND SALE AT PARK WEST GALLERY
THROUGH SEPTEMBER 26
CIRQUE
Li410C,R\pli iN COLOR
I remember how I sometimes felt overwhelmed as
I stood with Madame Aime Maeght viewing literal-
ly hundreds and hundreds of Chagalls over the
years. The most exciting part was that I was not
just viewing them, but buying them. The Maeght
Galerie of Paris published many of the lithographs
Chagall did during his lifetime. I was privileged to
be a prime dealer, that is, to be allowed to buy at
(east one and often more examples of new releas-
es of Chagall. The late sixties and seventies were
particularly rich times for me at the Galerie
Maeght. Not only would I be collecting new Chagall
works, but new Miro works, who was also published
by the Galerie Maeght. It was at the Galerie that I
met these great masters. It was an experience, or
better yet, a whole series of experiences that I
shall never forget.
Most amazing, my visual memory of the artists is
that Miro seemed to me more like an accountant,
prim and proper and dressed in a suit. By contrast,
Chagall had a peculiar and happy look about him
which always caused me to smile and enjoy just
being in his presence.
Chagall also published works with the well-known
Mazo Gallery in Paris. My work there with Mr.
Mazo and his assistant Yves Lebouc were enriching
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FEMME dE CIRQUE
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experiences, where I was again privileged to be a
prime dealer able to buy one or more examples of
all new releases.
In preparing this exhibition I enjoyed remember-
ing so many rich experiences I had in building the
Park West Gallery Chagall collection. The works
-seemed like old friends which would come and
go. To look at some of these works and realize
that I had actually bought and sold different
examples of the same image more than ten times
fortunately did not make me feel older but
extremely enriched.
Just to catalog the lithographs of Marc Chagall
took six volumes. Chagall was one of the most pro-
lific and dominant printmakers of the twentieth
century. When compared to the three other great
contemporary masters, Picasso, Miro, and Dali, he
was the greatest colorist of all.
The key note to this exhibition is the opportunity
to view extraordinary works in color which were
created by Chagall over a wide range of years-from
the twenties to the eighties. We are particularly
pleased to offer a number of works from the Bible,
initially created in the thirties, but completed
slowly and over many years during which Chagall
coloR
hand-painted each of the etchings. The subtle use
of color to enhance and enrich each of the etchings
in a way unique for each one is an extraordinary
testament to the dedication, hard work, energy
and power that was Chagall.
We are fortunate to have a selection of works from
the sixties, including the "Daphnis and Chloe"
series and the "Circus" series. These lithographs
rank with the greatest lithographs created by any
artist during the entire twentieth century. To
offer works from the twenties, when Chagall was
still a budding and developing young talent, is a
treat. Several will be at this exhibition and sale.
No amount of writing, however; can equal the
experience of becoming intimately involved with
one of these works through the pleasure of just
being with it and viewing it.
Like our Picasso exhibition, this exhibition covers
five decades during which Park West has both col-
lected and sold thousands of original works of
Chagall. This is the first Chagall exhibition and
sale in our new space. It takes up three of the 23
galleries here and is the beginning of an ever
changing, but permanent, installation of Chagall
work at the new Park West.
Albert Scaglione
Park West Gallery
Gallery Hours: Mon. - Wed. 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. • Thurs./Fri. 10 a.m. - 9 p.m. • Sat./Sun. 11 a.m. - 6 p.m.
29469 Northwestern, Southfield, MI 48034 • Between 12 Et 13 • (800) 521 - 9654 or (248) 354 - 2343 • parkwestart.com
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