Amadeo Modigliani, c. 1919.
Hes best known for his distinctive nudes and portraits that are characterized by elongated proportions and African mask-like faces.
While his nudes scandalized audiences at the time, his melancholic portraits revealed his subjects personal inner lives.
Amadeo Modigliani, c. 1919. Public domain, viaWikimedia Commons
Modigliani struggled with poor health from childhood and later suffered from malnourishment and alcoholism.
He ultimately died from tubercular meningitis in 1920 when he was just 35 years old.
And tragically, his wife and fellow artist Jeanne Hebuterne took her own life the following day.
“The Jewess,” 1908, public domain, viaWikimedia Commons
Although Modiglianis artworks were not commercially successful during his lifetime, they became increasingly popular after his death.
Read on to discover five of his most famous works.
Discover five famous Amedeo Modigliani artworks that capture the legendary artists signature style.
“Head of a Woman,” 1910-1911, (CC0 1.0), viaWikimedia Commons
When he arrived in Paris in 1906, he boldly declared, I am Modigliani, the Jew.
Modiglianis 1908 portrait titledThe Jewesswas the first painting the artist sold after his move to the French capital.
In it, he explores Jewish identity by painting his subjects uniqueness and imperfections.
“Portrait of Pablo Picasso,” 1915, public domain, viaWikimedia Commons
He presents the female sitter as elegant, composed, and sophisticated, albeit a little cold and elusive.
Due to the painting’s melancholic hues,The Jewesshas been compared with the work ofPicassos Blue Period.
Modigliani began crafting stylized, elongated heads that embodied his earlier figure and portrait paintings.
“Jacques and Berthe Lipchitz,” 1916 public domain, viaWikimedia Commons
Picasso often sat for Modiglianis portraits, and he even owned several of his paintings.
The artists duality is captured in the two-toned face of thisPortrait of Pablo Picasso, painted in 1915.
Picassos wisdom and experience are also honored with the painted word,savoir, meaning to know in French.
“Nude Sitting on a Divan,” c. 1918, public domain, viaWikimedia Commons
He commissioned Modigliani to paint this portrait to commemorate his marriage to Russian poet Berthe Kitrosser.
According to Lipchitz, it took just two days to paint.
Modigliani charged his friend the modest price of ten francs per sitting and a little alcohol.
Although rendered in Modiglianis abstract, mask-like style, the painting still captures the personalities of the newly-wed couple.
The figure appears bold and blatant, gazing sensually from the frame.
The exhibition caused such a stir that the police demanded that it close early.
