LONDON JEWISH MUSEUM OF ART DISPLAYS RARE AND UNSEEN CHAGALL MASTERPIECE

BEN YURI, THE LONDON JEWISH MUSEUM OF ART KICK-STARTED THEIR SEARCH FOR A NEW 20,000sqft BUILDING IN THE HEART OF CENTRAL LONDON WITH AN EXHIBITION DEMONSTRATING THE WEALTH AND DEPTH OF THE BU COLLECTION, INCLUDING THE UNVEILING OF A RARE AND UNSEEN MASTERPIECE BY MARC CHAGALL. BEN URI WAS INVITED BY OSBORNE SAMUEL TO LAUNCH THEIR 2010 EXHIBITION PROGRAM AT THEIR GALLERY IN MAYFAIR BUT THE EXHIBITION AND CATALOG HAD TO CHANGE WITH THE ACQUISITION OF THE LOST MASTERPIECE. 'APOCALYPSE EN LILAS, CAPRICCIO' IS CHAGALL'S PRIVATE RESPONSE TO THE END OF THE WAR, THE HOLOCAUST AND HIS WIFE BELLA'S DEATH, MOST LIKELY PAINTED IN MARCH/APRIL 1945. THE WORK HAS NEVER BEEN RECORDED OUTSIDE THE ARCHIVES AND NEVER EXHIBITED OR PUBLISHED TILL NOW. IT WILL BE ON DISPLAY AS PART OF THE APOCALYPSE EXHIBITION 8-31.JANUARY.
CHAIRMAN DAVID GLASSER SAID: 'THIS PREVIOUSLY UNKNOWN WORK IS CHAGALL'S DEEPLY PERSONAL EXPRESSION OF HORROR AND MOURNING FOR THE JEWISH CIVILIZATION ALMOST WIPED OUT BY THE NAZIS ALONGSIDE AND MERGED WITH GRIEF FOR HIS LATE WIFE BELLA WHO DIED 8 MONTHS EARLIER. THE NEWS OF THE MASS GENOCIDE POURING THROUGH THE MEDIA ON THE DEFEAT OF THE NAZIS APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN THE STIMULUS TO BRING CHAGALL BACK TO HIS EASEL AFTER 8 MONTHS OF MOURNING. IF THE JEWISH COMMUNITY AND LONDON IN GENERAL EVER NEEDED A REASON TO FIND AN APPROPRIATE CENTRAL LONDON BUILDING FOR ITS EXTRAORDINARY JEWISH MUSEUM OF ART WITH ITS EXHIBITIONS AND COLLECTION THEN SURELY THIS CHAGALL IS SURELY IT.'