musée Marc-Chagall

The Musée Marc-Chagall, also known as the Musée national du message biblique Marc-Chagall, is a French national museum in Nice, Alpes-Maritimes, dedicated to the work of painter Marc Chagall, particularly his works of religious and spiritual inspiration. Established in 1973 during the artist's lifetime, it holds one of the largest collections of Chagall's work in the world and serves as a major repository for his biblical series, the Message biblique.

The museum originated from Chagall's decision in 1966 to donate his biblical paintings to the French state. He had begun the Message biblique series in the early 1950s, initially intending it for a chapel in Vence, but later recognized the humanistic scope of the works and chose a secular venue instead. With the support of Minister of Culture André Malraux, the museum was constructed and inaugurated in 1973 while Chagall was still alive. Chagall took an active role in its creation: he specified the integration of an auditorium, gave detailed instructions for the garden designed by Henri Fish, determined the placement of each work, and created a mosaic overlooking the pond and blue stained glass windows for the concert hall. He also established that annual exhibitions on spiritual and religious history would be held. The chronological order of works was deliberately not followed in the installation. Major expansions came through a 1972 donation by Chagall and his wife of more than 250 works, including preparatory sketches, gouaches, lithographs, sculptures, and ceramics. In 1986, the museum acquired through dation en paiement the complete drawings and gouaches for the Exodus plus ten additional paintings, including the triptych Résistance, Résurrection, Libération. Further gifts came from Charles Sorlier, Chagall's lithographer at Fernand Mourlot, who donated extensive lithograph collections in 1986 and 1988. Between 2006 and 2007, extensive renovations modernized the museum technically, and a reception building, the Rotonde, was added in the garden to accommodate visitor growth from 30,000 in the opening year to nearly 200,000.

The centerpiece remains the seventeen-painting Message biblique series, illustrating Genesis, Exodus, and the Song of Songs. Twelve paintings depicting Genesis and Exodus occupy the main hall, while five works evoking the Song of Songs are displayed in a hexagonal side room. Other significant works include the triptych Résistance, Résurrection, Libération, acquired in 1986, and individual paintings such as La Sainte famille ou Le Couple (1909), L'Atelier (1910-1911), Autoportrait (1915), La Bible : Abraham et Isaac en route vers le lieu du sacrifice (1931), Résurrection (1937), Le Cirque bleu (1950 or 1952), Le Roi David (1951), L'Exode (1952-1966), Abraham et les trois anges (1960-1966), and L'Arche de Noé (1961-1966). Chagall's own mosaic overlooking the pond and his blue stained glass windows for the concert hall are integral permanent features.

The museum is located in the Cimiez district of Nice. Chagall personally oversaw the design and layout, including the garden by Henri Fish. The building incorporates a concert hall with his blue stained glass windows, and the garden features his mosaic above the pond. The 2006-2007 renovations added the Rotonde, a reception structure in the garden, to manage increased attendance.

The Musée Marc-Chagall is located in Nice, Alpes-Maritimes, France, in the Cimiez neighborhood. It operates as a French national museum and is part of the Musées nationaux du XXe siècle des Alpes-Maritimes circuit, alongside the Musée national Fernand Léger in Biot and the Musée national Picasso La Guerre et la paix in Vallauris. The museum's official website is www.musee-chagall.fr. Temporary exhibitions have included Denis Castellas (June-October 2014) and Makiko Furuichi (January-April 2023).