Marc Chagall was a Jewish painter, theatre artist and illustrator, one of the most significant artists of the 20th century. He was born in 1887 in Vitebsk and left for Paris in 1911, where he saw works by Gauguin, Van Gogh, Renoir and Delacroix. His works encompass the elements of Cubism, Fauvism, folk iconography, and other movements, but his style remains distinctive and is characterized by personal imagery such as soaring lovers, violinists on the roofs, cockerels, and Vitebsk. In Soviet Russia in 1919-1920 he created scenery sketches and costume designs for the State Yiddish Chamber Theatre in Moscow. He contributed to such productions as “An evening of Sholom Aleichem” and “The Sorceress”. He also decorated the foyer and auditorium. After his emigration to the USA, Chagall continued his theatre work. In the 1940s he worked on ballets “Aleko” and “Firebird”, based on choreography by Leonid Myasin. He later decorated the ballet "Daphnis and Chloe" for the Paris Opera Garnier and the opera "The Magic Flute" for the Metropolitan Opera in New York. At request from France's Minister of Culture, Chagall decorated the ceiling at the Paris Opera Garnier. This caused a major argument because Chagall was a foreigner. However, the ceiling mural was hailed as a triumph after its unveiling. Chagall met the ballerina Maya Plisetskaya in 1965 and later presented her with a couple of lithographs, which are now held at the A.A. Bakhrushin State Central Theatre Museum. Other lithographs by Chagall, his personal photos, photos for the "Daphnis and Chloe" ballet, costume designs for the State Yiddish Chamber Theatre and books about his work are also held at the Bakhrushin Museum.