Amedeo Modigliani Italian, 1884-1920

A key figure of the School of Paris, Amedeo Modigliani (1884–1920) is a major artist whose work is currently on view at the HELENE BAILLY gallery. 

His singular sensitivity is expressed through elongated portraits and highly sensual nudes. An Italian-born painter and sculptor, he emerged as one of the most striking figures of the bohemian Montparnasse art scene, in pursuit of a purified and timeless ideal of beauty. His instantly recognizable style blends soft, flowing lines with profound melancholy, influenced by African art, classical sculpture, and the Italian Renaissance.

After arriving in Paris in 1906, Modigliani settled at the Bateau-Lavoir, where he mingled with Picasso, Brancusi, and the emerging avant-gardes. While his early years were devoted to sculpture, he returned to painting after 1914, developing a deeply human body of work focused on the face and figure. Through portraits of his loved ones, fellow artists, and models, he captured each subject’s individuality with subtlety, while asserting a stylized and poetic vision of the human form.

During the 1910s, he began a relationship with Jeanne Hébuterne, a young artist and muse who remained by his side until the tragic end of his life. Supported by the art dealers Paul Guillaume and later Léopold Zborowski, Modigliani held a few exhibitions, but never truly found success during his lifetime. His fragile health, undermined by tuberculosis and a life marked by excess, led to his premature death at the age of 35.

Today, Amedeo Modigliani is recognized as one of the major artists of the 20th century. His works, among the most sought after on the art market, are held in the world’s most prestigious museum collections.