Amedeo Modigliani
Biography and Paintings of Expressionist Artist, Noted For Nudes and Portraits
Encyclopedia of Irish and World Art - HOMEPAGE

Amedeo Modigliani (1884-1920)

The Italian Artist and highly individual exponent of Expressionism, Amedeo Clemente Modigliani, spent most of his short working life painting in Paris, and became friends with Pablo Picasso, Toulouse-Lautrec and Georges Rouault. Painter and sculptor he is best known for his female nudes and portraits of women with unnaturally elongated necks. Most of his life was spent battling poverty, alcoholism, drug addiction and ill health. He died prematurely at the age of 35. His most notable works include Seated Nude c.1918 (Honolulu Academy of Arts) and Portrait of Jeanne Hébuterne, 1918.

Born in Livorno, Tuscany to Jewish parents, the family fell into poverty after the failure of the father's business, and were only saved from complete ruin due to a local law preventing creditors from seizing the bed of a pregnant woman (Modigliani's mother was pregnant with him at the time) - they piled as many of their possessions as possible on the bed.

Modigliani was particularly close to his mother, who home-schooled him until he was about 10. He was a sickly child, contracting pleurisy and tuberculosis (which was eventually to claim his life). When he was 11 she wrote in her diary, 'The child's character is still so unformed that I cannot say what I think of it. He behaves like a spoiled child, but he does not lack intelligence. We shall have to wait and see what is inside this chrysalis. Perhaps an artist?'.

Between 1898 and 1900 he studied painting with the Italian artist Guglielmo Micheli, who specialized in landscape painting en plein air, like the Impressionists. Modigliani never developed a taste for working outdoors. Instead, he preferred drawing and sketching in cafes. Even when he was forced to paint a landscape by his teacher, he tended more towards a proto-cubist style than a traditional style. Only 3 landscapes are known to exist by Modigliani. In 1902 he continued his studies at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Florence where he developed his passion for nudes and figure drawing. A year later, when suffering from another bout of TB, he registered to study at the Istituto di Belle Arti in Venice. It was here that his lifestyle became more debauched, he started smoking hash, and drinking heavily. He became the typical bohemian.

In 1906 he moved to Paris and a new friendship with Constantin Brancusi sparked Modigliani's interest in sculpture. He developed an interest in African masks, an influence clearly visible in the flat broad faces of his almost primitive-like sculptures. Sculptures from this time include Head of a Woman, 1910, Head, 1911, Head, 1912 and Rose Caryatid, 1914. The African influence spilled into his fine art painting, where many of his faces have a flat mask-like appearance, and his sitter’s eyes are almond shaped. His early years in Paris were prolific, he could make up to 100 drawings a day. Unfortunately, he either destroyed most of these drawings, or gave them to girlfriends that did not keep them. During his first year in Paris, he moderated his drinking habit but soon after, embarrassed by his persistent poverty and lack of patrons, he reverted to his old ways. He became an alcoholic and drug addict. He angrily destroyed most of his early academic work calling them 'childish baubles, done when I was a dirty bourgeois'. He resented the training that had bought him so little success to date.

Portrait of Jacques and Berthe
Lipchitz (c.1917)

TOP AUCTION RECORDS
For a list of the highest prices paid
for works of art by famous artists:
Top 10 Most Expensive Paintings and
Top 20 Most Expensive Paintings.

HIGHEST IRISH ART PRICES
For details of auction records set
by painters in Ireland, see:
Most Expensive Irish Paintings.

After 1915 he focussed entirely on painting, particularly portraits and nudes, producing some of his best works. He developed a unique style, the necks of his subjects were elongated, their mouths pursed, the eyes almond shaped. The backgrounds were neutral and economical, but the portraits were able to convey the personality of each individual sitter. Examples include Moise Kisling, 1912 (Private Collection, Milan), Portrait of the Art Dealer Paul Guillaume, 1916, Portrait of Jean Cocteau, 1916 and Portrait of Jeanne Hébuterne, 1918. He also produced some deeply sensuous nudes, including Reclining Nude, 1917 (Guggenheim Museum) and Seated Nude c.1918 (Honolulu Academy of Arts). Some claim that it was only when Modigliani was drunk on absinthe, that he could produce his masterpieces. Other artists tried to emulate his success by following a path of substance abuse.

In 1917 he had his first solo exhibition at the Berthe Weill Gallery, but the Chief of the Paris police closed it down within a few hours, scandalised by the artist's nudes. He moved to Nice soon after with his young girlfriend Jeanne Hebuterne, the subject of many of his portraits. He tried to sell his works to rich tourists, but they only ever sold for a few francs each. Whatever money he earned from his painting, soon vanished on his habits. In 1919 he returned to Paris, and although Modigliani continued to paint, his alcohol induced blackouts increased. In 1920, he died in bed of tubercular meningitis. He was clutching his heavily pregnant girlfriend as he took his last breath. Two days later she threw herself out of a fifth-floor window, killing herself and her unborn child.

Modigliani was penniless when he died, and had only ever had one solo exhibition in his life. He had given away his work to feed himself. It took several years for the true worth of his paintings to be discovered, and since then he has been the subject of 9 novels, one play and three films. Despite his lack of material success, his importance in the history of art is ensured due to his unique and instantly recognizable expressionist style, which has influenced a wide variety of artists in numerous movements.

• For more biographies of great painters, see Old Masters and Famous Artists.
• For information about famous artists in Ireland, see: Irish Art: Visual Arts Cork

• How to Update This Artist Biography of Amedeo Modigliani

HOME | Questions About Art | Sitemap: Art in Ireland | Sitemap: Irish Painters/Sculptors | Sitemap: World Art: History, Genres, Artists
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF IRISH AND WORLD ART
© visual-arts-cork.com 2008-2009 All rights reserved.