Marc Chagall. Aleko and Zemfira, engraved print

Marc CHAGALL (1887-1985)

Aleko, 1955

Etching and aquatint on paper signed lower left and numbered 116/300 lower left.

Subject: 46,5 x 52 cm (18-1/4 x 20-1/2 in.) - Sheet: 52,5 x 59 cm (20-2/3 x 23-1/4 in.)
Frame: 79 x 85 cm (31 x 33-1/2 in.)

Provenance:
Collection of Paule d’Arquian
Private collection

Aleko is a opera by Rachmaninoff inspired by Pushkin’s The Gypsies. Aleko, a young Tzigane, falls in love with Zemfira. They marry and have children. His wife’s infidelity push him to kill out of passion. In 1941, Marc Chagall was commissioned to realize the stage setting and costumes for the version presented at New York’s Opera.

Provenance :