Chagall painting available for first time in over two decades

Marc Chagall Jacob's Ladder Oil on canvas, 22x27 cm, signed.

Tiroche Auction House is Israel’s largest auction house and the global leader in Israeli art, with a collection that spans the decades of pre-state Israel through the 1960’s abstract era and contemporary art.

The auction, set for January 25, 2020, will present the opportunity to own Israel and the world’s great masters and rare paintings with works by Marc Chagall, Reuven Rubin, Nahum Gutman, Yosl Bergner, Yohanan Simon, Ludwig Blum, Samuel Bak, Naftali Bezem, Abel Pann and Lea Nikel, among others. This will be the first time in more than twenty years that a Chagall painting is up for auction in Israel.

The painting was infamously stolen from Gordon Auction House in 1996, several days before it was set to go to auction. It was discovered more than 23 years later, and after a legal process, was taken ownership by the insurance company who had insured it. The painting depicts one of the most important Biblical stories, symbolizing the history of the Jewish people and the Land of Israel. The ladder links the earth with heaven and the angels rise and fall, alluding to the divine prophecy descending upon human beings. Chagall chose not to depict the scene in utopian colors, but rather to use dramatic colors according to the painting period of 1973/4, near the difficult time of the Israeli Yom Kippur War. 

“We are excited to present rare and high quality works of Israel’s leading artists, including Reuven, Rubin, Gutman and Simon in this year’s auction. It has been more than twenty years since an oil painting by Chagall has been sold in Israel, and we are thrilled to exhibit the work of the most important Jewish artist. While Contemporary Art continues to dominate the international market, the Israeli masters still see strong and increasing interest across the art world, with new bidders and acquisitions from the United States over the last three to four years,” – says Amitai Hazan Tiroche,” Managing Director of Tiroche Auction House. 

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