You will have to make some room in your living room.
British auction house Bonhams has announced that the huge stage curtain designed by Marc Chagall for the Metropolitan Opera House (Met) in New York will be auctioned on Tuesday.
With a height of nearly 20 meters and a width of 14 meters, this piece in warm tones, representing musicians and dancers, was created by the artist for the large final scene of the production of
The Magic Flute by Mozart
in 1967. Its value is estimated between 250,000 and 450,000 dollars, or 210,000 to 380,000 €
Read also: A Marie-Antoinette shoe acquired for 43,750 euros at auction
According to the
New York Times,
it is also its imposing size that pushed its latest buyer - who wanted to exhibit it in a museum in Armenia - to part with it.
The curtain was therefore returned to New York in its crate.
The Met had initially sold it in a private sale in 2007. Unable to be presented during the auction, the auction house had to rent a studio the size of a half a football field in order to take it into account. Photo.
Unable to be featured during the auction, the auction house had to rent a studio the size of a half a football field in order to take a picture of it.
Bonhams
“The Magic Flute is a brilliant visual story and the perfect reflection of the final act. (...) The magical vibe of Chagall's color palette, imbued with spiritual symbolism and rich visual imagery, was the ideal complement to the beauty of Mozart's opera
,
”
said Molly Ott Ambler, director of Bonhams.
Read also: Rare discovery of a painting of Salai, "the little devil" by Leonardo da Vinci
Marc Chagall's investment in the
Magic Flute
project
was not limited to the curtain.
The painter also designed more than 120 costumes, 13 sets 20 meters high as well as 26 decorative objects, all in collaboration with the Russian scenographer Volodya Odinokov.