Pocantico to Present Marc Chagall’s Works-In-Process to the Public for the First Time in Nearly 50 Years

This fall, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund and the Rockefeller Archive Center will present Sketching Light: Chagall’s Windows for Union Church at the David Rockefeller Creative Arts Center at Pocantico (DR Center). The exhibition will provide a rare opportunity to explore the creative process of renowned modern artist Marc Chagall.

Chagall was commissioned by the Rockefeller family to create a large stained-glass window in memory of John D. Rockefeller, Jr., who died in 1960. The resulting jewel-toned panels, installed at Union Church of Pocantico Hills in 1962, marked the artist’s first stained-glass project in the United States. Chagall went on to complete eight additional windows for the Rockefellers at Union Church, the only church in the United States to feature his glasswork.

Sketching Light features 27 mixed media works on paper from Chagall’s preparatory studies for this commission, which were purchased by David Rockefeller in 1975 for the Rockefeller Archive Center. These works will be presented to the public for the first time since their 1978 exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art, cofounded by Abby Aldrich Rockefeller. The exhibition will also include a printed screen by Chagall from Nelson A. Rockefeller’s collection at Kykuit.

“Combining world-class modern art, local partners, and Rockefeller family history through the lens of works-in-process, this exhibition embodies the spirit of the David Rockefeller Creative Arts Center,” said Katrina London, curator for The Pocantico Center’s extensive collections. “Chagall’s sketches give us fleeting insights into the mind of one of the most renowned twentieth-century modernists, rendering his work at once extraordinary and familiar.”

In the sketches, Chagall lays out his early designs for each window in pencil or ink, depicting Old and New Testament subjects like the parable of the Good Samaritan and several Hebrew prophets. In successive iterations, he adds color with paint, pastel, and collage to create captivating multimedia maquettes that capture the effect of sunlight on glass.

Sketching Light: Chagall’s Windows for Union Church will be on view from October 11, 2024, through May 17, 2025. The gallery will be open to the public Thursday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. All visitors must reserve a free timed-entry ticket online prior to visiting.

Visitors can venture a half mile to see the completed windows on a tour of Union Church, built by John D Rockefeller in 1922. Separate tickets are required. Directions and tour information for Union Church will be available at the DR Center and online.

“The Rockefeller family and its extensive network of philanthropic institutions have had an enormous impact on both the local landscape and the global arts field,” said Jack Meyers, president of the Rockefeller Archive Center. “As the Archive Center celebrates its 50th anniversary, we wanted to share this story to uplift the incredible connections the family fostered in Westchester County and the lively community here that preserves and carries on that legacy today.”

Exhibition Credits

Sketching Light: Chagall’s Windows for Union Church is a collaboration between the Rockefeller Brothers Fund and the Rockefeller Archive Center. It is co-curated by Katrina London and Michele Hiltzik Beckerman in celebration of the Archive Center’s 50th Anniversary.

About the David Rockefeller Creative Arts Center at Pocantico

Once home to the Rockefeller family,  The Pocantico Center’s verdant campus in the scenic hills of the Hudson Valley has been host to some of the most influential leaders, thinkers, and creative minds of the last century. Today, the Rockefeller Brothers Fund continues to bring people together at Pocantico through a robust slate of conferences, artist residencies, tours, performances, exhibitions, and educational programs. Housed in John D. Rockefeller’s historic 1908 Orangerie, The David Rockefeller Creative Arts Center at Pocantico is an arts hub with a gallery, performance space, and flexible artist’s studio. It offers a sustainable and inclusive home for the creative process where artists and the community come together to develop, present, and experience art. 

About The Rockefeller Archive Center

The Rockefeller Archive Center was established in 1974 to gather, preserve, and make accessible the records of the Rockefeller family and their far-reaching philanthropic endeavors. Today, the Archive Center holds the archives of more than 40 major foundations, cultural organizations, and research institutions, as well as more than 100 individuals associated with these organizations. By collecting, managing, preserving, and providing broad and equitable access to the historical records of philanthropy and other efforts to work on behalf of the public good, the Rockefeller Archive Center inspires critical analysis and contributes knowledge to diverse learning communities throughout the world.

Press contact: Sarah Edkins | slien@rbf.org | 646-897-1672

Photos: Download high-resolution images here.