Sorlier & Chagall: The 12 Tribes of Israel Exhibition

 

Primeval, Old-Testament scenes meet colorful, 20th-century style in the Museum of Biblical Art’s 12 Tribes of Israel Exhibition featuring the collaboration of modernist masters, Charles Sorlier and Marc Chagall. Forty original, stone lithographs crafted by Sorlier and Chagall tell the story of the Israelite’s early days and showcase the artistic partnership that changed the face of printmaking.

 

The 12 Tribes of Israel Exhibition offers a look into the creation of one of Chagall’s most monumental artistic achievements, his famed 1959 Jerusalem Stained Glass Windows. Celebrated worldwide for their beauty and significance, the Jerusalem Windows illuminate Israel’s cherished history. MBA Director, Scott Peck, speaks to the uniqueness 12 Tribes Exhibition and the lithographs that capture the Jerusalem Window scenes. He describes how each stone print “brings the beauty of the Jerusalem Windows to Dallas and offers insight into Chagall’s creative process. The exhibition takes viewers on a step-by-step journey alongside Sorlier and Chagall as the Windows go from envisioned to refined to created.” 12 Tribes features a lithograph of the small study, the first color study, and the final study for every window, exhibited to emphasize the complexity and art of the print-making process that Sorlier and Chagall pioneered.

 

The 12 Tribes of Israel Exhibition at the Museum of Biblical Art is one segment in a larger Chagall exhibition that spans three different locations. The University of Dallas as well as Temple Beth-El in Fort Worth will also display Chagall’s Biblically-themed works from March to April. All three exhibitions spotlight Chagall’s dreamy, colorful style and speak to his reputation as an expert colorist, preeminent Jewish artist, and European modernist whose work inspires awe and sparks the imaginations of viewers worldwide.