An exhibition catalogue of the works of Marc Chagall which includes 70 paintings from all phases of his extensive oeuvre, many of which have remained inaccessible to the general public until now. Thirteeen years after the artist's death works from his private collections, together with loans from museums around the world present a cross-section of the artist's life work. The pictures are artistic celebrations of love and life; aglow with colour, his world lends expression to dreams and desires. People and animals as well as churches and houses from his native town Vitebsk were rich sources of inspiration for Chagall. They are the leitmotif that runs through his work, in their various manifestations they fill the oil paintings, gouaches and watercolors reproduced in this volume.The essays illuminate Chagalls' life and examine the artistic infuences exerted on his work by the Western avant-garde.