Martin M. Miles' photos with the keyword: Marc Chagall

Madrid is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. Madrid is part of the historical landscape of Castile and is located in the middle of the Meseta, the plateau of Castile. The site has been occupied since prehistoric times. The first document about the existence of an established settlement in Madrid dates from the Muslim age. In the second half of the 9th century Umayyad Emir Muhammad I built a fortress here. In 1083, Madrid was conquered by the Kingdom of Castile. In 1309, under Fernando IV, the Assembly of Estates (Cortes) of the Kingdom of Castile was convened for the first time in Madrid. In 1561, Philip II moved the royal court from Valladolid to Madrid. It became the de facto capital of Spain, which it remains to this day. The War of the Spanish Succession ended in 1714 with the Bourbons taking over the Spanish throne. Today's royal palace was built under their rule. Particularly during the reign of Charles III the city's public infrastructure was modernized and numerous public buildings were built. Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza The museum is named after its founder, Baron Heinrich Thyssen-Bornemisza. With over 1,600 paintings, it was once the second-largest private collection in the world. After Baron Thyssen, having unsuccessfully sought permission to enlarge his museum in Lugano, searched for a better-suited location elsewhere in Europe end of the 1980s. In 1985, the Baron had married Carmen "Tita" Cervera and introduced her to art collecting. Cervera's influence was decisive in persuading the Baron to relocate the core of his collection to Spain where the local government had a building available next to the Prado. The Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum officially opened in 1992, showing 715 works of art. A year later, the Spanish Government bought 775 works for $350 million.These pieces are now in the purpose-built museum in Madrid. After the museum opened, in 1999, Cervera loaned 429 works of her own art collection to the museum for 11 years. The loan was renewed annually for free from 2012. Marc Chagall / 1887 - 1985 / The Grey House / 1917/

Saint-Paul-de-Vence is just a walk away from Vence. It still has a medieval structure: The character of the village has changed greatly over the last hundred years. Marc Chagall has lived here, as well as James Baldwin and many French actors (Simone Signoret, Yves Montand, Lino Ventura). This is still a hotspot for celebrities - and so it is for tourists. To buy a baguette here could be difficult, to buy a contemporary work of art will be easy, as art-galleries outnumber bakeries clearly (I just saw one bakery!). The official website of St. Paul lists more than 60 ateliers and galleries. And as most of the many tourists cannot afford to have lunch in the poshy restaurants, they get their munchies from "Les Gourmandises".

The most colourful and surprising item inside the rather bleak Cathedral of Vence is this mosaic behind the baptismal font. It was created by russo-french artist Marc Chagall, who lived in nearby St.- Paul de Vence. Worldfamous Chagall has created many stained windows (Metz, Reims, Mainz, Chichester..) of which the most are very dark blue - in opposite to this light coloured scene, depicting Moses in a small craft of bulrushes, being rescued from the Nile. Maybe this was saying Chagall´s way of saying "Merci beaucoup" to Vence after he was awarded the honorary citizenship of the town.

Saint-Paul-de-Vence, a village with a population of about 3500, is just a walk away from Vence. St. Paul still has a medieval structure, fortified within the 16th century. The ramparts are still extant, but the character of the village has changed greatly over the decades. Marc Chagall has lived here, as well as American author James Baldwin and many French actors (Simone Signoret, Yves Montand, Lino Ventura). This is still a hotspot for celebrities and wikipedia told me, that "property prices (...) have been stable during the last recession (...) Purchase prices of medium size villa in a good location would cost between €2 and €5 million." To buy a baguette here could be difficult, to buy a contemporary work of art will be easy, as art-galleries outnumber bakeries clearly (I just saw one bakery!). First came the artists - followed by the galleries. The official website of St. Paul lists more than 60 ateliers and galleries. I had the impression, that the number is higher. Standing on the ramparts, looking south. The mediterranean sea is behind the hills on the horizont. Marc Chagall and James Baldwin are buried on the little graveyard on the right.

Saint-Paul-de-Vence, a village with a population of about 3500, is just a walk away from Vence. St. Paul still has a medieval structure, fortified within the 16th century. The ramparts are still extant, but the character of the village has changed greatly over the decades. Marc Chagall has lived here, as well as American author James Baldwin and many French actors (Simone Signoret, Yves Montand, Lino Ventura). Saint-Paul-de-Vence is still a hotspot for celebrities and wikipedia told me, that "property prices (...) have been stable during the last recession (...) Purchase prices of medium size villa in a good location would cost between €2 and €5 million." To buy a baguette here could be difficult, to buy a contemporary work of art will be easy, as art-galleries outnumber bakeries clearly (I just saw one bakery!). First came the artists - followed by the galleries. The official website of St. Paul lists more than 60 ateliers and galleries. I had the impression, that the number is higher. Marguerite and Aimé Maeght owned a very important gallery for contemporary art in Cannes (1936) and another one in Paris (1946) came to St. Paul to meet their artists. In 1964 they founded a museum of modern art here. Situated in a pine forest the "Fondation Maeght" attracts more than 200.000 visitors per year. www.maeght.com/