Free Republic

Chaim Potok captured the strain of transition from religious traditionalism to artistic expression in his fictional character Asher Lev. As a young boy, Asher, a painter prodigy and the son of a chasidic luminary, is drawn to a Brooklyn museum where he surreptitiously views crucifixions and nudes. He subsequently paints such scenes. Asher’s mother tries to understand her son’s artistic longings, yet says in exasperation, “Your painting. It’s taken us to Jesus. And to the way they paint women. Painting is for goyim, Asher. Jews don’t draw and paint.” Asher responds, “Chagall is a Jew,” but his mother cuts him...

A treasure trove of artworks worth almost £1billion seized by the Nazis and reportedly destroyed in RAF bombing raids during WW2 has been found behind rotting food in shabby apartment in Munich. Experts have hailed the discovery of the 1,500 pictures, thought to have been lost or bombed, as a sensational find. The story of the lost masterpieces of such painters as Pablo Picasso, Renoir, Henri Matisse and Marc Chagall is revealed in this week's edition of Germany's Focus magazine which broke the story of the incredible find by customs officials. Art historians examining the collection claim up to 300...

...This unidentified bidder at Sotheby's auction in New York on Wednesday bid $95.2 million for a Picasso and $2.5 million for a Chagall. Yesterday that man's face was being sent by e-mail around the world, as art dealers and collectors frenziedly speculated on his identity. He ended up spending $102.7 million, for a 1941 Picasso portrait, "Dora Maar With Cat." ...an 1883 Monet seascape for $5 million...a Chagall, a 1978 biblical scene, for which the man paid $2.5 million But who was he? Sotheby's has refused to say. It is unclear whether he was acting for a client or buying...

10:10 2005-06-03 A scandal broke out in the capital of Belarus following the sale of a previously unknown painting by Marc Chagal at auction in Minsk. The painting was purchased for $650,000 by an individual who remained anonymous. Lyudmila Kononova, executive director of the auction company Paragis, said to Interfax yesterday that reserve price for the painting was set at $450,000. Details relating to a new location of the painting will be agreed upon within the next 20 days. The painting will be kept in a storage room of the auction company during that period. Then it will become clear...