Phillips Will Auction Le Pere by Marc Chagall at the New York Evening Sale of 20th Century & Contemporary Art on November 15, 2022

October 2022 NEW YORK: On November 15, Phillips will auction Le Père by Marc Chagall during its Evening Sale of 20th Century & Contemporary Art in New York. The painting was painted in 1911, a critical year in the artist's career, and is one of fifteen works of art that the French Government returned earlier this year as part of an ongoing effort to return artworks in its museums that were illegally removed by the Nazi Party during World War II.

David Cender, a maker of musical instruments from ód, Poland, and his family were sent to Auschwitz in 1940 after the Nazis stole a cherished item from his collection. Chagall repurchased the painting in 1966, since he had a great affinity for it because it shows his loving father. Chagall's estate gave the artwork to the Musée national d'art moderne, Centre national d'art et de culture Georges-Pompidou in Paris in 1988. This is the first of fifteen restituted artworks to be sold at auction, with an estimated price range of $6 million to $8 million.

In recent decades, the artist's most important early work has appeared on the market.

Restored to David Cender's Descendants by the French National Assembly in a Landmark Decision.

Deputy Chairman, Americas, and Senior International Specialist, 20th Century & Contemporary Art, Jeremiah Evarts, said, "Phillips is honoured to have had a role in the incredible journey of this artwork over the last century. Chagall's legacy is essential to the history of Western art, and Le Père is a masterwork in the art historical canon. The traumatic and enthralling history of the painting after its completion, ending in the wonderful news of its return to the Cender family, adds to the intrigue of Le Père's tale. We appreciate the French government's determination to return such important works of art from its collection to their rightful owners."

Le Père is a magnificent, dramatic portrait that illustrates the artist's development from a Saint Petersburg art student to one of the foremost symbols of European Modernism. In the winter of 1911-1912, Chagall moved to La Ruche, an artists' colony on the outskirts of Montparnasse. In the three years that followed, he created some of the most well regarded works of his career, with his portraits gaining particular attention. Throughout his career, Chagall revitalised the conventional forms of portrait painting. During his seven-decade career, he painted surreal and enchanted portraits of lovers, religious figures, communities, and members of his beloved family. Le Père is a portrait of the artist's father, Zahar, who worked tirelessly his whole life. Chagall's work has few portraits of the artist's father. In contrast to the bulk of his later works, which were dominated by stereotypical images of couples, this early painting is a very personal and honest depiction.

David Cender, the original owner of this photograph, was a renowned musical instrument manufacturer in ód, Poland who, in addition to being a musician and music educator himself, produced instruments of the highest quality for the distinguished performers of the day. David wed Ruta Zylbersztajn in 1939, and soon afterwards, their daughter Bluma was born. Before 1939, 34 percent of ód's 665,000 inhabitants were Jewish, and the city was a thriving centre of Jewish culture. In the spring of 1940, David Cender and his family were forced to quit their home and go into the ghetto, leaving behind several irreplaceable possessions, including their art collection and musical instruments. David survived the war, but his wife, daughter, and other members of his family were killed in Auschwitz.

Chagall repurchased the work in 1966, and it stayed in his personal collection for the remainder of his life. The Musée national d'art moderne, Centre national d'art et de culture Georges-Pompidou in Paris acquired Le Père together with 45 paintings and 406 drawings and gouaches from Chagall's estate in 1988. The sculpture was presented to the Musée d'art et d'histoire du Judaism in Paris after 10 years, where it has been on exhibit for twenty-four.

On January 25, 2022, the French National Assembly unanimously passed a legislation authorising the repatriation of fifteen works of art; the French Senate ratified the statute on February 15, 2022. Roselyne Bachelot, minister of culture, praised the decision, adding that failure to restore the artwork "denied the humanity [of these Jewish families], their heritage, and their memories." This is the first time in more than seventy years that a government has initiated the restoration of stolen or acquired as a consequence of anti-Semitic persecution works in public collections.

On April 1, 2022, the French Parliament in Paris transferred Le Père to David Cender's heirs.

Le Père, which will be auctioned for the first time, is a rare and beloved early work by the artist. Its involvement in this unparalleled restoration is a watershed event in the cultural history of the world.

Auction: 15 November 2022, 432 Park Avenue, New York, New York, for sale

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