Chagall in mosaic. From design to work

Inauguration: 17 October 2025, 6:00 p.m.
Marc Chagall in mosaic. From design to work explores, for the first time, the deep connection between one of the greatest and most beloved masters of the 20th century and the ancient art of mosaic.
Starting with the iconic Le Coq bleu, a masterpiece from the MAR’s permanent collection, the exhibition traces Chagall’s extraordinary adventure in the world of mosaics, which began in Ravenna in the 1950s. Fascinated by Byzantine mosaics during a trip, Chagall began a collaboration with Ravenna mosaicists, which was followed by numerous projects in architectural and public art contexts. Mosaic trials, drawings, pastels, watercolours, tempera paintings, gouaches, collages and lithographs bear witness to the creative process that accompanied the realisation of each project. Visitors will thus be able to discover a little-known but fundamental aspect of Chagall’s poetics: the encounter between colour, light and matter, in dialogue with the architectural space and the excellence of Ravenna’s mosaic tradition. Exceptionally, the great mosaic Le Grand Soleil, originally given by Chagall to his wife Valentina, will be on display.
An entire section will be dedicated to the Ravenna mosaicists who actively collaborated with Chagall in the creation of many of his monumental works, from Nice to Chicago, from Jerusalem to Martigny: Lino and Heidi Melano, Romolo Papa and Antonio Rocchi.

The exhibition also represents a historic moment for Ravenna: for the first time, the original sketch sent by Chagall for the creation of Le Coq bleu will be on display.
The exhibition is curated by Anne Dopffér, Director General of the Musées nationaux du XXe siècle des Alpes-Maritimes, Gregory Couderc, Scientific Director of the Museé national Marc Chagall, Giorgia Salerno, Curator of the MAR, and Daniele Torcellini, Artistic Director of the IX Biennial of Contemporary Mosaic.
The exhibition has been possible thanks to contributions from: the Emilia-Romagna Region, Marcegalia, the Fondazione Del Monte of Bologna and Ravenna, and Orsoni Venezia 1888