In this book can be found all the details of Chagall's work on the ceiling of the Paris Opera, undertaken in 1963, when he was 77 years old. The final canvas was nearly 2,400 square feet (220 sq. metres) and required 440 pounds (200 kg) of paint. Its five sections were glued to polyester panels and hoisted up to the 70-foot (21 m) ceiling. The images Chagall painted on the canvas paid tribute to the composers Mozart, Wagner, Mussorgsky, Berlioz and Ravel, as well as to famous actors and dancers. Marc Chagall (18871985) was a Russian-French artist. An early modernist, he was associated with the École de Paris as well as several major artistic styles and created works in a wide range of artistic formats, including painting, drawings, book illustrations, stained glass, stage sets, ceramics, tapestries and fine art prints. His work on the ceiling of the Paris Opera is of particular importance. Jacques Lassaigne wrote a number of books about Chagall, and may perhaps have been one of th