Russian artist Marc Chagall's Les Amoureux aux Fruits ou Deux Tetes led Bonhams' Impressionist & Modern Art auction on May 7, making $362,500.
 The 1950 work is composed of ink wash, gouache, Indian ink and crayon |
Offered from a private estate in Southern California, the bewitching drawing features portraits of the artist and his first wife, Bella, flanked by bountiful blooms and ripe fruits.
Entwined in one another's arms, the couple are situated in the lower right hand corner of the compelling composition.
Bella's unexpected death in 1944 caused Chagall to retreat from painting for many months. When he did resume his artwork, his primary focus appears to have been in preserving Bella's memory.
Executed in 1850, the dream-like Les Amoureux aux Fruits ou Deux Tetes suggests that Chagall was still profoundly in love with his dead wife long after her passing, living in a world of memories, scents and fantasies, which deeply influenced his work.
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