La Baie des Anges (The Bay Of Angels)

Marc Chagall’s "The Bay of Angels" ("La Baie des Anges," 1962) is a luminous color lithograph celebrating the picturesque French coastal city of Nice bathed in the deep blues and bright yellows of the Mediterranean. At the heart of the composition floats a mythical siren—an orange-haired angelic figure—hovering above the city and shoreline, entwined in a radiant bouquet of flowers. Surreal motifs—a white bird, blue woman, and blue fish—are woven throughout the floral display, while the moon glows over the distant coastline, evoking both tranquility and enchantment. The work pulses with Chagall’s trademark lyricism, poetic mysticism, and love of dreamlike aerial imagery.

Artistic and Social Context "The Bay of Angels" was commissioned as a poster to promote tourism to Nice and the Côte d'Azur by the French Tourist Commissariat, and also forms part of Chagall’s "Nice and the Côte d’Azur" lithograph series (1967), engraved in collaboration with master printmaker Charles Sorlier. The work is infused with Chagall’s enduring attachment to the Mediterranean and its role as a place of freedom and rebirth—he once said Nice was where he was "born for the second time." In its luminous palette and folkloric symbolism, the composition draws together both Chagall’s memories of Eastern European folklore and his celebration of the sun-soaked French Riviera, framing the city as a locus of joy, fantasy, and creative inspiration.

Interpretation and Meaning "The Bay of Angels" merges personal mythology with public spectacle, using its floating siren to evoke legends of angels guiding Adam and Eve to the bay after exile from Eden. The bouquet of flowers radiates vibrant life and beauty, while whimsical figures invite viewers into Chagall’s magical universe—one where art, landscape, and spirit blend. The fantastical aerial perspective and brilliant color speak to Chagall’s abiding belief in art’s ability to lift and transform, carrying viewers beyond daily life toward poetic transcendence.

Size The original size of "The Bay of Angels" color lithograph is approximately 31.8 × 24 cm (12.5 × 9.5 inches).Marc Chagall’s "The Bay of Angels" ("La Baie des Anges," 1962) is a luminous color lithograph depicting the azure coastline of Nice, France, under a radiant Mediterranean sun. The city’s serene blue palette grounds the composition, while a vibrant bouquet bursts with pink and yellow blooms above the shore, surrounded by Chagall’s signature floating figures—a mythical siren with glowing orange hair, a white bird, blue woman, and blue fish that add playful surrealism. In the background, bungalows hug the coastline and a crescent moon dips toward the horizon. The scene brims with Chagall’s poetic mysticism and dreamlike lyricism, achieving a feeling of both tranquility and enchantment