How to Get a Rare Glimpse of Chagall’s Rockefeller Windows

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 in Tarrytown. 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 the 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 20th 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.

Union Church windows by Marc Chagall honoring John D Rockefeller Jr. and other family members. Photo: J Matorano for Historic Hudson Valley

Sketching Light: Chagall’s Windows for Union Church will be on view from Oct. 11, through May 17. 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 the 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.”

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.

The David Rockefeller Creative Arts Center at Pocantico is located at 200 Lake Road, Tarrytown. Visit rbf.org/pocantico/historic-site-tours/dr-center for more on the center.

Robert Brum is a freelance journalist who writes about the Hudson Valley. Contact him and read his work at robertbrum.com.