Amedeo Modigliani canvas prints & artprints

Amedeo Modigliani, a tormented and fascinating artist, left his mark on twentieth-century art history. A painter and sculptor, he is best known for his portraits and nudes, characterised by elongated forms, deep gazes and a subtle colour palette. His canvases, now prized by collectors and subscribers to art magazines, exude a unique melancholy and sensuality. Although his career was short and marked by poverty, Modigliani succeeded in imposing his singular style, thanks in particular to the support of art dealers Paul Guillaume and Paul Alexandre and his friend Zborowski. The work of this Italian artist, who tragically died in Paris in 1920 with an image of a tortured painter, continues to fascinate and inspire, testifying to an extraordinary artistic sensibility.

Discover the works by Amedeo Modigliani available in the catalogue with "Nu couché" (1917, coll. Privé), one of the many nudes he painted during his career, depicting the sensual portrait of a woman, "Cariatide" (1914, New York, Museum of Modern Art), a sandstone sculpture, accompanied by a preparatory drawing, from his short period as a sculptor, or "Paul Guillaume" (1915, Musée de l'Orangerie), an oil painting on canvas depicting his patron Paul Guillaume, a lover of the art proposed by Modigliani during his lifetime.

Offer yourself a painting by Amedeo Modigliani, one of the key painters who influenced modern art, and find out more about his life by reading his biography.

Biography of Amedeo Modigliani

Amedeo Modigliani's early years in Livorno

Amedeo Modigliani was born in Livorno, Italy, on 12 July 1884, into a Sephardic Jewish family. His father, Flaminio Modigliani, was a businessman of ill fortune, and his mother, Eugénie Garsin, was a cultured woman with a passion for literature. From an early age, Amedeo showed an interest in the arts, encouraged by his mother, who passed on her love of culture to him. He attended primary schools and then the Guerrazzi Lyceum in Livorno, and then, given his lack of attendance at classes, was enrolled by his mother at the Livorno Academy of Fine Arts, where he produced his first drawings, learned the basics of oil painting on canvas, and painted his first canvases.

But his studies were soon interrupted by health problems. In 1900, suffering from pleurisy, the young Italian painter was forced to leave school and travel to Naples, Capri and Rome for treatment. These trips enabled him to discover the masterpieces of Italian art, in particular the frescoes of Michelangelo and Raphael, and the sculptures of Tino di Camaino, which were to have a profound influence on his life and work.

In 1902, he enrolled at the Florence Academy of Fine Arts, in the free nude school of the painter Giovanni Fattori, an artist belonging to the Macchiaioli movement, who taught him the importance of light and colour. The following year, he moved to Venice, where he discovered the unique atmosphere of St Mark's Square and the shimmering colours of the lagoon.

Inspired by the Italian masters and his contemporaries, such as Paul Cézanne, Amedeo Modigliani nurtured growing artistic aspirations. He dreamed of Paris, the capital of the arts, where he hoped to meet the greatest artists and establish himself as an artist in his own right.

The arrival in Paris and the bohemian era for Amedeo Modigliani

In 1906, Amedeo Modigliani, a young Italian painter full of ambition, arrived in Paris, the bubbling capital of modern art. He first settled in Montmartre, and after numerous moves between the east and west banks of the capital, from rue Saint-George to rue Saint-Gothard, he fixed his studio in Montparnasse, a district emblematic of the artistic life of the time.

He plunged headlong into this creative effervescence, frequenting the cafés, studios and galleries where artists and intellectuals congregated. It was an intense period, marked by decisive encounters: Paul Alexandre, a doctor and art collector who became his patron, and the art dealer Paul Guillaume, as well as major figures such as Picasso, Kisling, Max Jacob, Blaise Cendrars, Jean Cocteau, André Derain and Georges Braque, many of whom were to become his friends. Despite this social ferment, Modigliani also experienced precariousness and loneliness. Alcohol and drugs gradually made their appearance in his life, accentuating a fragility that was already present.

In contact with the artistic currents of the time, Modigliani refined his own style. In Paris, the Italian artist was influenced by the post-impressionism of Gauguin, Lautrec and Cézanne, and by Picasso's blue and pink periods. However, Modigliani retained his artistic independence, and did not subscribe to the revolutionary forms of Cubism or Futurism. His art was built on a balance between tradition and modernity: his drawings became simpler, his lines clearer, and the colours stronger in his canvases. His portraits, which he paints with a particular intensity, seek to capture the soul of the model, beyond the physical appearance.

It was also during this period that Modigliani held his first exhibitions, notably at the Société des artistes indépendants and at the Salon, where he exhibited in 1908 and 1910. The critical reception was mixed, with some hailing his originality and others deeming him too academic. At these exhibitions, his paintings were not convincing, and plunged the young artist, who was nevertheless promising and recognised by his peers, into real financial distress.

Amedeo Modigliani's sculptural period

During the years 1910 to 1914, Amedeo Modigliani, then a young painter at the height of his artistic exploration, turned passionately to sculpture. This interest probably arose during his stay in Livorno in 1909, where he made his first attempts in this discipline. Fascinated by primitive art, he drew major inspiration from it for his own creations.

Similarities with the work of Constantin Brancusi can be found in his sculptural works, particularly in the simplification of forms and the elegance of lines. Modigliani worked mainly in stone, a material that enabled him to bring to life long, streamlined figures. The artist strove to sculpt heads with minimalist features, exuding expressive strength and a singular spirituality.

Despite his talent as a sculptor, though reviled by the more traditional artists, Modigliani faced financial difficulties that forced him to concentrate on painting, which was more lucrative. His art dealer, Paul Guillaume, also put pressure on him to focus on painting, a medium he preferred to sculpture. Little by little, Modigliani abandoned sculpture, leaving behind a series of powerful and original works that bear witness to his artistic quest and his fascination with the human form. Although this period was relatively short, it was nonetheless essential in the artist's career and would be an influence on many contemporary artists thereafter.

Amedeo Modigliani : The painter of portraits and nudes

Between 1914 and 1917, Modigliani gradually abandoned sculpture to concentrate on painting in oil on canvas, in particular portraits and nudes. Freed from the constraints of stone, the artist developed a personal style that was instantly recognisable. His portraits and drawings, which he produced in his studio or at his models' homes, are characterised by elongated faces, almond-shaped eyes, slender necks and elegant lines.

It was also during this period that Modigliani worked closely with the art dealer Paul Guillaume, a lover of primitive art who played a crucial role in the distribution of the Italian painter's works through his gallery in the rue du Faubourg-Saint-Honoré. He also painted several portraits of his artist friends, such as Kisling and Zborowski, whom he met at an exhibition in Émile Lejeune's studio. At the same time, he painted many nudes, boldly exploring the sensuality of women. His models are depicted in lascivious poses, highlighting their forms.

Although Modigliani exhibited little during this period, his first and only solo exhibition during his lifetime was held in 1917 at the Berthe Weill gallery, and caused a scandal because of the unequivocal nudes on display, gradually gaining him recognition. The poet Zborowski then became her main patron and provided her with a modest income, enabling her to devote herself fully to her art.

Amedeo Modigliani and Jeanne Hébuterne

In the spring of 1917, Amedeo Modigliani met Jeanne Hébuterne, a 19-year-old art student at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. From then on, their relationship became passionate and fused. Jeanne, gentle and reserved, became his muse and companion, moving in with him despite the disapproval of her Catholic family, who saw Modigliani as a bohemian and unstable artist. Jeanne's father and mother rejected the union with an older Jewish man with a sulphurous reputation.

Jeanne Hébuterne, who had become his principal model and whose portrait Modigliani painted on several occasions, then appeared in numerous canvases. Her oval face, almond-shaped eyes and long, graceful neck inspired the artist, who found in her a beauty and serenity that contrasted with his own torments. Jeanne Hébuterne's influence on Modigliani's art is undeniable. She soothed his anxieties, gave him a certain stability and contributed to the development of his style.

In 1918, the First World War was raging and Paris was threatened by bombing and rationing. Suffering from cough and fever, Modigliani was encouraged by his art dealer Paul Guillaume and his friend Zborowski to leave the capital with Jeanne. The couple took refuge in the south of France, first in Cagnes-sur-Mer, then in Nice. In the Midi, the Italian painter painted luminous landscapes, portraits of maternity, children and teenagers, capturing the daily life of the inhabitants, people from all walks of life, including prostitutes.

In November 1918, Jeanne Hébuterne gave birth to their child, also named Jeanne, in Nice. Fatherhood soothed Modigliani, who became calmer and more responsible. He painted several portraits of his wife and daughter, testifying to his family happiness.

In May 1919, Modigliani returned to Paris. Unfortunately, the painter's old demons resurfaced: alcohol, drugs and excesses of all kinds. Despite this, he continued to paint and took part in exhibitions, including "Modern French Art - 1914-1919" in London, which was a great success and helped to export his art to Europe.

Jeanne Hébuterne, again pregnant, joined him in the French capital in 1919 with their daughter. Although Modigliani's art was becoming increasingly recognised, the couple lived in poverty, surrounded by artist and collector friends, but the artist's health declined rapidly.

Amedeo Modigliani's last years and posthumous consecration

The last years of Amedeo Modigliani's life in Paris were marked by the exacerbation of his illness and the deterioration of his living conditions. Despite the support of friends such as Kisling and the Zborowski couple, the weakened artist struggled to support himself and Jeanne Hébuterne, his companion.

The last years of Modigliani's life in Paris were marked by the exacerbation of his illness and the deterioration of his living conditions.

On 24 January 1920, at the age of 35, Modigliani succumbed to tubercular meningitis after fainting in his studio. His wife, Jeanne Hébuterne, pregnant with their second child, threw herself out of the window the next day, leaving behind a baby girl, Jeanne, aged just a few months.

Modigliani's funeral at Père-Lachaise cemetery was attended by around a thousand people, mainly his artist friends. Jeanne Hébuterne, meanwhile, was buried in a suburban cemetery, surrounded only by the presence of the Zborowski, Kisling and Salmon couples, her father and mother objecting to her being laid to rest alongside Modigliani. It was only ten years later that the Hébuterne family agreed that Jeanne should be buried with the man she loved.

Despite a life marked by poverty and illness, Modigliani's work enjoyed dazzling posthumous success. His portraits and nudes, imbued with a profound humanity, quickly became icons of modern art.

Amedeo Modigliani's artistic legacy and worldwide recognition

Amedeo Modigliani's influence on modern and contemporary art is undeniable. His unique style, characterised by elongated forms, expressive colours and simplification of features, inspired many artists after him. His portraits, particularly those of his muse Jeanne Hébuterne, have become icons of modern art, admired for their emotional intensity and singular beauty. Although he was a talented sculptor, as shown by his sculpture "Tête" (1910-1912, private collection), it is above all his painting that has left its mark on art history.

Amedeo Modigliani's popularity has grown steadily over the decades. His works now reach auction records, confirming his place among the most important artists of the 20th century. "Reclining Nude" (1917, Coll. Priv.), for example, sold for $170.4 million in 2015, testifying to subscribers' infatuation with the Italian painter's work.

From exhibition to exhibition, major retrospectives were eventually devoted to Amedeo Modigliani all over the world after his death, allowing the public to rediscover his work and critics to further study his art. Prestigious institutions such as the Musée de l'Orangerie regularly organise exhibitions dedicated to the painter, highlighting his portraits and nudes, attracting subscribers to the painter from all over the world. In fact, the Musée de l'Orangerie retains a large collection of his works for permanent display.

Amedeo Modigliani set himself apart from his contemporaries, including Picasso, by creating a unique and instantly recognisable style. His work, both modern and timeless, transcends the ages and continues to fascinate artists and art lovers alike. Every magazine specialising in painting regularly publishes articles on his life and work, testifying to subscribers' continuing interest in this extraordinary artist. Amedeo Modigliani today occupies an essential place in the history of art, recognised as a master of modern art and a major artist of the 20th century.