Бэлла Мейер

“I grew up with his paintings around me,” said Bella Meyer, floral designer and founder of the studio Fleurs Bella, describing her grandfather, Marc Chagall. Meyer was among those attending and competing April 12 in The Horticultural Society of New York’s “Flower Show Dinner Dance Showcasing Table Designs,” held at 583 Park Avenue. Paris-born Meyer reminisced about frequent visits to her grandfather in the South of France. “We used to go for walks, talk…. My grandfather spoke Yiddish, Russian and had a funny French-Romanian accent. He [believed in] freedom for the Jews…. He always spoke about ‘my Bella’ [his wife]. She was the only one who truly understood him. The only other person who understood him was his daughter, Ida, my mother.
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Meyer said her grandfather was instrumental in helping her understand who she was. “He would always ask us children if we found ‘your ideal.’ He taught me that each piece I do [needs] to ‘speak from the heart.’” That evening, Meyer ‘s table setting display, called “Tree of Life” won her the award for most distinctive horticulture. The display was described as an exotic design that would transport the viewer “to an imaginary world.”

In the 1970s, Meyer’s multifaceted art career took her to Israel, where, she said, she was involved in a 1973 archaeological restoration research project for the Israel Museum. She also told me, “I have a twin sister, Meret Meyer, who takes care of the Chagall estate, and my older brother, Piet Meyer publishes art books.”