Elena Rossi
Marc Chagall was a Russian and French artist who was invited to New York by the director of the Museum of Modern Art, Alfred H. Barr, to have a solo exhibition. This invitation served as a ploy for Chagall to obtain a United States visa and escape Nazi-occupied Europe. Chagall and his wife, Bella, seized this opportunity and departed France, leaving their daughter, Ida, and her husband, Michel, behind. Ida and Michel later followed her parents to New York on a refugee ship, smuggling a large case of her father's paintings.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Daughter's Name | Ida |
| Son-in-law's Name | Michel Gordey, Michel Rapoport, Michel Rappoport |
| Ship Name | SS Navemar |
| Ticket Cost | $600 per ticket |
| Year of Escape | 1941 |
| Paintings' Packaging | Crates, trunks |
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What You'll Learn
Ida and Michel's journey on the SS Navemar
Ida and Michel's journey aboard the SS Navemar was far from luxurious. The couple chose to ride on deck, where a makeshift stall full of oxen had been set up, to avoid moisture damage to the paintings. They fell ill with 40-degree fever and had no medication, water, or food. In a letter to Morris and Ethel Troper, Chagall described the conditions, writing: "We do not sleep nights. We cannot eat, thinking about how the children live like animals."
The SS Navemar was a refugee ship that departed from Lisbon in August 1941. Ida and Michel were accompanied by a large case containing her father's paintings, which they had retrieved from Spain. The previous month, the paintings had been held up by Spanish customs authorities, reportedly due to Gestapo pressure. Ida travelled to Madrid to secure their release, while Michel was arrested while attempting to cross the Franco-Spanish border and had to be smuggled out of prison.
The journey was treacherous, with the SS Navemar barely escaping German torpedoes en route. The ship was described in a newspaper as "a floating concentration camp", and the conditions on board were dire. Nevertheless, Ida and Michel successfully smuggled Marc Chagall's paintings out of Nazi-occupied Europe, ensuring that his artistic legacy endured.
The paintings that Ida and Michel smuggled out of Europe were not the only works by Chagall to make their way to the United States. Before fleeing France, Chagall had tried to ship trunks of his canvases to the United States. Additionally, some of his paintings were smuggled out by Jewish-American collector Peggy Guggenheim, who tucked rolled-up canvases into a shipment of linens and blankets in 1941.
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The paintings' transfer from Spain
After Marc Chagall and his wife Bella fled France for Lisbon in May 1941, their daughter Ida and her husband Michel Rappoport prepared to bring the artist's paintings, which had been shipped to Spain, to the United States. However, the Spanish customs authorities, reportedly under pressure from the Gestapo, were holding up the transfer of the artworks. Ida went to Madrid to try to rescue the artworks, but Michel was arrested while trying to cross the Franco-Spanish border and had to be smuggled out of prison.
Ida and Michel eventually made it to the United States aboard the SS Navemar, accompanied by crates of Chagall's paintings. They had bought two $600 tickets, worth roughly $11,000 per ticket today, aboard the ship for Jewish refugees. The couple rode on deck to avoid moisture damage to the paintings, which shared their space with a makeshift stall full of oxen.
In a letter to Morris and Ethel Troper, European directors of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, Chagall described a letter he received from Ida when the ship docked in Lisbon:
> They were ill, with 40-degree [Celsius] fever, no medication, no water, no food... We do not sleep nights. We cannot eat, thinking about how the children in the worst conditions live like animals.
Chagall's paintings were not the only artworks smuggled out of Europe during the onset of World War II. Jewish-American collector Peggy Guggenheim bought paintings from top contemporary artists in Paris leading up to the German occupation. In 1941, she got them out of Europe by tucking rolled-up canvases into a shipment of linens and blankets.
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Ida's trip to Madrid
Ida and her husband, Michel, had a challenging journey as they attempted to smuggle a large case of her father's paintings out of Nazi-occupied Europe. Ida and Michel's trip to Madrid was a crucial part of this endeavour. Here is an account of their experience:
Ida and Michel's journey began in Paris, where they faced the daunting task of escaping Nazi occupation. They managed to obtain two expensive tickets, costing $600 each, on a ship for Jewish refugees. However, their primary challenge was not just escaping with their lives but also smuggling out a sizable crate containing Marc Chagall's paintings.
As they embarked on their journey, they first travelled to Spain, where they planned to retrieve the paintings that had been shipped there separately. Ida and Michel arrived in Lisbon, where they faced challenging conditions, including illness and a lack of food and water. Despite these difficulties, they persevered and continued their journey to Madrid.
However, their troubles were not over yet. Michel was arrested while attempting to cross the Franco-Spanish border and had to be smuggled out of prison. Eventually, they made their way to the United States aboard the SS Navemar, a refugee ship. They faced further dangers as they narrowly dodged German torpedoes during their climactic journey.
Throughout their journey, Ida and Michel endured tremendous hardships, including cramped and uncomfortable conditions on the ship. They opted to ride on the deck to avoid moisture damage to the paintings, which were housed in a 6-by-6-by-3-foot crate. Despite the challenges, their bravery and determination ensured the preservation of Marc Chagall's artistic legacy.
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Michel's arrest and escape from prison
Michel, Ida's husband, was arrested while trying to cross the Franco-Spanish border. However, he was smuggled out of prison, and the couple eventually made it to the United States on the SS Navemar, accompanied by crates of Marc Chagall's paintings.
Despite Michel's arrest, the couple managed to escape to the United States with the paintings. They endured harsh conditions on the SS Navemar, a ship described as a "floating concentration camp," with little access to food, water, or medication. To protect the paintings from moisture damage, they opted to ride on the deck, where they shared space with a makeshift stall of oxen.
The journey was perilous, as the ship narrowly dodged German torpedoes en route to New York. Despite the challenges, Michel and Ida successfully smuggled Marc Chagall's artworks out of Nazi-occupied Europe, preserving her father's artistic legacy for future generations to appreciate and enjoy.
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Ida's bravery and determination
Ida, the daughter of Marc Chagall, demonstrated remarkable bravery and determination in smuggling her father's paintings out of Nazi-occupied Europe during World War II. Ida and her husband, Michel, faced significant challenges in their daring endeavour. They embarked on a perilous journey aboard the SS Navemar, a refugee ship bound for New York. The couple chose to ride on the deck of the ship, enduring harsh conditions alongside a makeshift stall of oxen, to protect the paintings from moisture damage.
Ida's bravery is evident in her willingness to confront the dangers of wartime Europe and the uncertainty of their escape. She and Michel managed to secure two expensive tickets, worth approximately $11,000 each in today's value, aboard the ship, indicating their determination to save not only their lives but also her father's artistic legacy. They carried a sizable crate containing Chagall's paintings, a precious cargo that faced the constant threat of discovery or destruction by the Nazis.
Ida's determination to preserve her father's artwork is further highlighted in her efforts to rescue the paintings from Spanish customs authorities. When the transfer of the paintings was delayed due to Gestapo pressure, Ida took it upon herself to go to Madrid and attempt to retrieve the artwork. Her husband, Michel, was even arrested while attempting to cross the Franco-Spanish border, underscoring the immense risks they faced.
The couple's journey on the SS Navemar was fraught with danger as they narrowly avoided German torpedoes en route to the United States. Throughout their voyage, they endured illness, lack of medication, and scarce food and water. Despite these challenging circumstances, Ida remained steadfast in her mission to safeguard her father's paintings. Her actions ensured that Chagall's artwork survived the war and could be appreciated by future generations.
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Frequently asked questions
Ida and her husband, Michel, took a separate ship to New York, carrying a large case of her father's paintings. They bought two $600 tickets, worth roughly $11,000 per ticket today, aboard a ship for Jewish refugees.
Ida and Michel faced harsh conditions aboard the Navemar steamship. They opted to ride on the deck, which also housed a makeshift stall full of oxen, to avoid moisture damage to the paintings. They fell ill with 40-degree fever, and had no medication, water, or food.
It is not clear what happened to the paintings immediately upon their arrival in New York. However, Marc Chagall did have a solo exhibition at MoMA in 1946, displaying paintings such as "The Lovers" and "floating lovers, larger-than-life roosters, and pensive rabbis."
Yes, before fleeing Europe, Chagall tried to ship trunks of his paintings to the United States. Additionally, an American collector named Peggy Guggenheim bought paintings from top contemporary artists in Paris before the German occupation and smuggled them out of Europe by tucking rolled-up canvases into a shipment of linens and blankets.
