In honor of Hanukkah, this week’s provenance blog post focuses on the work of Jewish artist Marc Chagall. Revered as “the quintessential Jewish artist of the twentieth century,” Chagall is known for his emotive and colorful – or wild and whimsical – works depicting domestic scenes and figures from Eastern European Jewish folklore. One of his best-known commissions is a fresco adorning the ceiling of the Paris Opera. In the course of his 75-year career, Chagall produced approximately 10,000 works in a variety of mediums, including paintings, drawings, lithographs, ceramics, mosaics, tapestries, and stained glass. Some of his works feature religious Jewish elements, including menorahs.

Chagall’s works are very popular and can fetch tens of millions of dollars. In 2017, for instance, a painting titled Les Amoreux (The Lovers) sold for $28.45 million at auction. Therefore, it should come as no surprise that Chagall’s works have been targets for theft. In 1988, a temporary employee of collectors Ernest and Rose Heller stole 14 works, including a Chagall painting depicting Shakespeare’s Othello and Desdemona, from the couple’s New York City apartment. The Hellers had spent a veritable lifetime building up their art collection, and the Chagall possessed sentimental value – Mr. Heller’s father purchased it directly from the artist in 1911 while living in Paris.

The painting remained missing until 2018, when an associate of the thief attempted to sell the work to an art gallery owner in Washington D.C. Fortunately, the gallery owner noticed that the painting was still labeled with the names of the owners and was not accompanied by provenance documents, prompting him to refer the seller to the FBI. There was another twist as well; apparently, the thief may have had connections to a Bulgarian organized crime group and stole the painting with the intention to sell it to the group. After a falling out with the group, the thief kept the painting in a custom-made box in his attic. There were three total attempts to sell the painting to the same art gallery: in 1989, 2011, and 2017. The gallery owner wisely engaged in due diligence and refused to sell the painting without the proper paperwork. He was also instrumental in securing the seller’s cooperation with law enforcement. After the FBI’s seizure, the proceeds of the recovered work went to charity, as the Hellers had passed away some years before.

We hope you have enjoyed this glimpse into the world of Jewish art. The team at Amineddoleh & Associates wishes everyone a Happy Hanukkah.