In 1937, the year before creating ‘Corbeille au soleil’, the Nazi regime deemed Chagall and his work ‘degenerate’ yet, the artist’s reality in Paris could not be more different. He had become a French citizen, was surrounded by friends and exhibiting at the Petit Palais. The outbreak of World War II was not far away (Chagall fled Paris in 1939) and his work during this period shows a new appreciation and lust for life.

‘Corbeille au soleil’ is a celebration of freedom and abundance. The plentiful fruit topples from the table and the shutters are swung open to allow in the breeze. In the background are picturesque roofs and figures relaxing in the sunshine.

The painting marks a very important moment in Chagall’s life. He created ‘Corbeille au soleil’ in Gordes in Provence, where in May 1940 be bought a house on the advice of his friend Andre Lhote who also lived there. Chagall described how " There, in the south of France, for the first time in my life, I saw that rich greenness—the like of which I had never seen in my own country."

Chagall’s stay in Gordes was not long. As the Nazi occupation of France spread and the threat to his life increased, Chagall left Gordes in 1941 for New York. Alongside other artists and intellectuals he was offered safe passage by Varian Fry, the envoy of the Emergency Rescue Committee in France and did not return until 1947.