Chagall and Missoni: Exiles on Lake Maggiore

At the Museo Archeologico in Sesto Calende, a small archaeological museum on Lake Maggiore, an exhibition pairs Marc Chagall (1887–1985) and Ottavio Missoni (1921–2013). Chagall, born in Vitebsk to a Jewish family and later a French citizen, is represented by his print series of the Bible and Exodus. Missoni, born in Ragusa di Dalmazia and a former athlete who found success in the textile industry of the Verbano-Gallaratese area, contributes tapestries, drawings, and working studies—sketches, fabric samples, and conceptual pieces. The show, curated by Luca Missoni, draws a parallel through their shared experience of exile: Chagall fled to the United States to escape the Nazis; Missoni's family moved to Trieste to avoid ethnic persecution. Both carried their uprootedness into their work. The exhibition runs until December 31, 2016.