73 - Marc CHAGALL (Vitebsk 1887 – Saint-Paul-de-Vence 1985)

Marc CHAGALL (Vitebsk 1887 – Saint-Paul-de-Vence 1985) Thank You for the Sausage Created in 1976 Graphite, tempera, and oil pastel on paper 19.5 x 56 cm Inscribed, dated, and signed in the lower right corner: “In thanks for the sausage—thank you, Jules. Marc Chagall 1976” We thank the Marc Chagall Committee for confirming the authenticity of this work. A certificate of authenticity dated October 14, 2026, will be provided to the purchaser. Provenance: Estate of Jules Cavaillès, then by descent Marc Chagall, born Moïche Zakharovitch Chagalov, was a Belarusian painter, draftsman, and printmaker of the École de Paris. He was born in 1887 in Vitebsk. In 1907, he began his artistic training at the School of Painting and Drawing founded by the painter Yuri Pen in his hometown. He left for Saint Petersburg and first enrolled in the drawing school founded by the Imperial Society for the Protection of Fine Arts, directed by the painter and philosopher Nicholas Roerich. Then, in 1909, he took classes with Léon Bakst at the Zvantseva Art School. In 1910, thanks to Deputy Vivaner, who financed his trip, Chagall traveled to Paris. He settled at La Ruche and attended the Académie de la Palette as well as the Académie de la Grande-Chaumière. In 1914, he left for Berlin before returning to Vitebsk. In 1915, he married Bella Rosenfeld in Vitebsk. From 1918 to 1920, he served as the fine arts commissioner for the Vitebsk region. The painter then returned to Moscow, where he painted sets for Yiddish theater productions. In 1922, he left for Berlin and then returned to Paris in 1923, at which time he met the art dealer Ambroise Vollard. The painter spent several years between 1927 and 1929 at Mas Lloret in Céret. This work symbolizes the friendship between Marc Chagall and Jules Cavaillès. Jules Cavaillès arrived in Paris in 1921, at the age of 20, with his wife Rose Féral. He then settled in La Ruche, the artists’ community in Montparnasse, and gradually devoted himself to painting. His interactions with numerous artists helped broaden his artistic horizons. The artists had been rubbing shoulders since the 1930s at artistic events and exhibitions. The small shop that Cavaillès ran with his wife Rose—first in Choisy-le-Roi and later on Rue de l’Abbé-Groult in Paris’s 15th arrondissement—became, in particular, an informal gathering place where Chagall, Matisse, Derain, and Bonnard would meet. The friendship between Chagall and Cavaillès took root after World War II. The two painters then saw each other regularly and shared “good times” at the Cavaillès’ homes in Épineuil, Cannes, and Paris, where they were practically neighbors. Family lore recounts the story behind this work: Upon returning from a trip to Albi in early 1976, Jules Cavaillès presented Chagall with a famous symbol of southwestern Occitania—a sausage! In return, the master presented him with this beautiful and touching work, a testament to the friendship that bound them. We thank Mr. Bruno Crusel, an expert on the painter Jules Cavaillès, for the information he kindly provided.