37 - Marc Chagall (1887–1985)

Marc Chagall (1887–1985) The Bible: Adam and Eve and the Forbidden Fruit, 1960 Lithograph on paper, signed lower right and numbered 6/50 lower left Published by Revue Verve, Tériade, Paris 52.5 x 38 cm Provenance: > Gift from the artist to Tériade > Private bequest from Alice Tériade, 2007 > Private collection, Paris This print is part of the famous “Drawings for the Bible,” a masterful series of original lithographs commissioned by the prestigious art publisher Tériade and published in 1960 in a special double issue of the magazine Verve. The composition depicts Adam and Eve in a lush Garden of Eden, where stylized vegetation, the tempting serpent, and a fantastical bestiary intermingle. Through a play of fluid lines and a vibrant color palette, the work conveys Chagall’s poetic, dreamlike, and deeply humanistic interpretation of the great biblical narratives, which he considered the most important source of poetry and inspiration in his career.