TORONTO.- The Art Gallery of Ontario is bringing the magic, whimsy and wonder of Marc Chagall to Toronto next fall with a major exhibition organized by the Centre Pompidou. Chagall and the Russian Avant-Garde: Masterpieces from the Collection of the Centre Pompidou, Paris on view from October 15, 2011 through January 15, 2012, features the lush, colourful, and dreamlike art of Marc Chagall alongside the visionaries of Russian modernism, including Wassily Kandinsky, Kasimir Malevich, Natalia Goncharova, Sonia Delaunay, and Vladimir Tatlin.

Drawn from the collection of the Centre Pompidou, the exhibition examines how Chagall’s Russian heritage influenced and informed his artistic practice, illustrating how he at turns embraced and rejected broader movements in art history as he developed his widely beloved style. Chagall and the Russian Avant-Garde comprises 118 works from a broad array of media, including painting, sculpture, works on paper, photography, and film. The artwork is drawn entirely from the collection of the Centre Pompidou and features 32 works by Chagall and eight works by Kandinsky.

“Centre Pompidou is one of the world’s preeminent art museums and we at the AGO are deeply grateful—and very excited—to be able to share these highlights from its collection with our visitors,” says Matthew Teitelbaum, the AGO’s Michael and Sonja Koerner Director, and CEO. “The visual relationship—both complementary and contrasting—of Chagall’s emotive figurations with the abstractions of the Russian avant-garde tells a compelling and complex story of influence and heritage, contextualizing Chagall within the art movements of his homeland for the very first time and offering visitors an opportunity to discuss, debate, and connect with some outstanding works of art.”

“Built around the great figure of Marc Chagall and the exceptional collection of our museum, this exhibition is an opportunity to consider the exceptional work of the Russian avant-garde from Chagall’s perspective,” says Alfred Pacquemont, director of the Musée national d’art moderne in Centre Pompidou. “Our collection of works by Chagall includes key works from Chagall’s personal collection, many of which were gifts of the artist and his family; works by Kandinsky, Gontcharova, and Delaunay are also among our collection’s highlights. We are privileged that the Art Gallery of Ontario will host this exhibition for its only North American showing, and that these great works—many of which rarely leave our museum—will be experienced and enjoyed by a Canadian audience.”

“From cubo-futurism and constructivism to folk art and expressionism, Chagall’s influences are as wide-ranging and divergent as his work is boldly original and singularly imaginative,” says Elizabeth Smith, the AGO’s executive director of curatorial affairs. “This exhibition encourages new perspectives on Chagall’s artistic development, and offers a comprehensive presentation of outstanding artwork by the 20th century’s most imaginative and engaging Russian artists.”