(Livorno 1884 - Paris 1920)
Amedeo Clemente Modigliani, Italian painter and sculptor. He was born into a Jewish family (his mother was Sephardic) and studied at the fine arts schools in Livorno, Florence, and Venice, and visited the great museums of Italy.
In 1906, he moved to Paris. Until that moment, his art was based on the stain technique of the Italian macchiaioli of the 19th century, but he was later influenced by Toulouse-Lautrec, Picasso, and subsequently, by Cézanne. In 1909, he became friends with Brancusi and for some time dedicated himself almost exclusively to sculpture, creating simplified figures with a primitive trace.
From Montmartre, where he resided, he moved to Montparnasse, where he lived miserably, abusing alcohol and drugs. He was friends with Kisling, at whose house he worked, as well as with Soutine and Pascin. Some patrons supported him: the British poetess Beatrice Hastings, the dealer and poet Zborowski, since 1916.
In the last three years of his life, he was accompanied by Jeanne Hébuterne, a student of the decorative arts school, with whom he had a child. Modigliani died in the hospital of La Charité from tuberculosis. On the day of his funeral, Jeanne Hébuterne committed suicide.
The painting of Modigliani reflects this painful destiny: it is limited to the human figure, always capturing a precise individuality, with a nostalgic expression. The artist did not find a definitive style until 1915, from which date he produced hundreds of canvases of great character. His models are very diverse: men, women, children; some from the world of arts and letters; others from the people, whose poverty and simplicity the artist was able to capture.
Modigliani also painted nudes, often reclining and cut off at mid-leg, whose forms stand out against a dark background. His bright and vibrant colors give quality to the lines, which are of extreme purity; the elongations and torsions recall the primitive Florentines, Botticelli, and the mannerists (Parmigianino).
He is represented in the major public collections of America and Europe.
Amedeo Clemente Modigliani, Italian painter and sculptor. He was born into a Jewish family (his mother was Sephardic) and studied at the fine arts schools in Livorno, Florence, and Venice, and visited the great museums of Italy.
In 1906, he moved to Paris. Until that moment, his art was based on the stain technique of the Italian macchiaioli of the 19th century, but he was later influenced by Toulouse-Lautrec, Picasso, and subsequently, by Cézanne. In 1909, he became friends with Brancusi and for some time dedicated himself almost exclusively to sculpture, creating simplified figures with a primitive trace.
From Montmartre, where he resided, he moved to Montparnasse, where he lived miserably, abusing alcohol and drugs. He was friends with Kisling, at whose house he worked, as well as with Soutine and Pascin. Some patrons supported him: the British poetess Beatrice Hastings, the dealer and poet Zborowski, since 1916.
In the last three years of his life, he was accompanied by Jeanne Hébuterne, a student of the decorative arts school, with whom he had a child. Modigliani died in the hospital of La Charité from tuberculosis. On the day of his funeral, Jeanne Hébuterne committed suicide.
The painting of Modigliani reflects this painful destiny: it is limited to the human figure, always capturing a precise individuality, with a nostalgic expression. The artist did not find a definitive style until 1915, from which date he produced hundreds of canvases of great character. His models are very diverse: men, women, children; some from the world of arts and letters; others from the people, whose poverty and simplicity the artist was able to capture.
Modigliani also painted nudes, often reclining and cut off at mid-leg, whose forms stand out against a dark background. His bright and vibrant colors give quality to the lines, which are of extreme purity; the elongations and torsions recall the primitive Florentines, Botticelli, and the mannerists (Parmigianino).
He is represented in the major public collections of America and Europe.
