It’s a well-kept secret. On the heights of Arcs-sur-Argens, in the sacred chapel of Sainte-Roseline, Marguerite Maeght's most beautiful legacy is hidden: an atypical commission from her artist friends including Diego Giacometti and Marc Chagall in order to transform the interior decor of 'a forgotten monastery. An original and largely ignored story, but today revealed by the Museum of Fine Arts of Draguignan. Rich in sketches, preparatory documents, audiovisual and graphic archives, this exhibition takes us to the first boxes of a little-known chapter of the History of Art, combining tradition and modernity, popular piety and creative freedom, with on one side the large drawings, models and watercolors of the stained glass windows created by Raoul Ubac and Jean Bazaine; on the other the two large plasters prefiguring the bas-reliefs of the Miracle of the Roses composed by Diego Giacometti. Facing the sculptor's liturgical furniture, Chagall, more interested in biblical subjects, took charge of a wall mosaic on which The Angels' Meal was being prepared. A sensitive and collective work to which is added a contemporary installation by Nina Laisné, where a traditional melody very close to birdsong echoes four paintings painted in the style of the Flemish schools of the 16th ^ᵉ century . When the sacred and the profane become one.

Painting, stained glass, tapestry, sculpture, Marc Chagall was an experimenter. What emotion here to discover one of its greatest mosaic masterpieces. Nestled in the Sainte-Roseline Chapel in Arcs-sur-Argens, The Miracle of Saint Roseline by Marc Chagall is a masterful piece, created in collaboration with the mosaicist Michel Tharin in 1975.  Moving away from the painting, the artist opens new artistic perspectives, exploring light, materials and color in a different way in monumental forms which dialogue harmoniously with architecture. This work is one of the very rare mosaics by Chagall to deal with a religious theme. This monumental mosaic, measuring 6.48 meters by 5.70 meters, is nestled under a semicircular arch and represents a celestial feast prepared by two majestic angels. On the right, Saint Roseline, represented with wings, symbolizes her role as divine intermediary. The scene takes place against a backdrop of Avignon bathed in radiant sunshine, surrounded by thousands of flowers evoked by bright touches of color, recalling the miracle of the roses where Roseline, surprised by her father while she was hiding food for the poor, revealed an armful of roses when she opened her apron. Chagall, faithful to his love for artistic traditions, drew his inspiration from the Russian icon of the 15th ^ᵉ century, The Trinity of Rublev, for the composition of this work. Chagall's mosaic, with its matte marble tiles in shades of white and cream contrasting with the colorful and shiny glass paste tiles, creates a fascinating play of light.

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DRAGUIGNAN FINE ARTS MUSEUM
Until September 22, 2024
9 rue de la République, 83300 Draguignan

CHAPELLE SAINTE-ROSELINE
Route de Sainte-Roseline, 83460 Les Arcs