A FASCINATING NEW BOOK

ON THE ARTIST MARC CHAGALL

            A North Carolina woman has just written an intriguing reminiscence of Marc Chagall, the famous 20^th century artist.  The book is titled Sharing Chagall: A Memoir. 

            Vivian Jacobson traces her association with Chagall from her days in Chicago when she and her husband hosted a reception for the noted artist on behalf of the Hadassah Medical Organization in Jerusalem, Israel.  Following that event, she became a founding member of the American Friends of Chagall’s Biblical Message Museum in Nice, France.  Ultimately, as President of that organization, her closeness with Chagall grew as she served as the primary American source of fund raising for major international projects for the Museum.

            During an eleven year relationship working on Chagall’s behalf, Vivian Jacobson traveled back and forth to France, to other European countries and to Israel as her personal friendship with Chagall and members of his family developed. 

            In 1978 she began giving lectures on her experiences with the man who has been called a pioneer of modernism and one of the greatest figurative artists of his century.   From her recollections of the time spent with Chagall, and from her study, research and a vast collection of documents, memorabilia and photographs, Vivian Jacobson created a dozen lectures touching on many aspects of Chagall’s life.

            She has presented her talks at art galleries, museums, churches, synagogues, colleges and schools nationally, as well as in Europe and Israel.  Vivian Jacobson is a former speaker on Marc Chagall for the North Carolina Humanities Council Forum.  Out of the wealth of information she has gathered and conveyed to her audiences, came the writing of her memoir, Sharing Chagall.

            Although many scholarly volumes have been written on Chagall, the artist, whose unique career spanned virtually every artistic medium, including paintings, book illustrations, stained glass, stage sets, ceramics and tapestries, Vivian Jacobson has instead taken a personal approach as she brings to her readers the essence of Chagall, the man.   He inspired her with his message of Hope, Peace, Reconciliation and Love.

            The book contains a complimentary note from Benjamin Harshav of Yale University,  a foremost academician and biographer of Chagall, and with whose encouragement, she undertook the writing of Sharing Chagall.  Also included in the book is a lengthy appendix of other writings about Chagall, listings of where Chagall works can be found, as well as catalogs, posters, and other reference sources  

            For the student of Chagall, or for the casual reader who just wants to know a little more about the icon of the 20^th century art world, the appendix is worth more than the price of the book.   For additional information, contact the author at ravi@pinehurst.net.