White Crucifixion

Marc ChagallWW-1938-013701

1938·Oil on canvas·154.6 × 140 cm (60 7/8 × 55 1/16 in.)

<p><em>White Crucifixion</em> is the first in Marc Chagall’s series of compositions that feature Jesus as a Jewish martyr and dramatically call attention to the persecution and suffering of Jews in 1930s Germany at the hands of the National Socialist Party. Chagall stressed Jesus’s religious identity by depicting him and the biblical figures above him in traditional Jewish garments. The surrounding images show the devastation of pogroms, violent attacks against Jewish communities often organized or sanctioned by local governments. Combining the Crucifixion with contemporary events, Chagall’s painting links the martyred Jesus with the Jewish people being persecuted across Europe and implicitly compares the Nazis with Jesus’s tormentors.</p>

Catalogue

Year: 1938
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 154.6 × 140 cm (60 7/8 × 55 1/16 in.)
Collection: Art Institute of Chicago
Artist: Marc Chagall

Artist

Marc Chagall

Painting

M arc Chagall, the Belorussian-born French modernist, became famous for his poetic, dreamlike artworks filled with rich colors and iconic imagery—flying lovers, fiddlers, and fantastical animals—deeply influenced by his Jewish heritage and the Parisian avant-garde. Today, Chagall’s masterpieces remain highly sought after in major museums and the global art market, with his works showing strong long-term value growth and consistent performance at auction.

Saint Paul de Vence, France

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