“Amedeo Modigliani: Inner Eye,” an extensive retrospective of works by the legendary modern artist whose life was tragically cut short at the age of 35, is currently on view at the Modern Art Museum in Lille, France.
Gathering over 120 works in total, the show includes rare examples of the artist’s sculptural works as well as some pieces by his famous contemporaries Constantin Brancusi and Pablo Picasso, adding historical context to the exhibition.
Amedeo Modigliani, Femme assise à la robe bleue (1918-1919).
Photo: Moderna Museet, Stockholm.
The show, which seeks to shed light on the artist’s friendships and his role within the avant-garde movement, is structured around three main themes: “Sculptural sources, “Portraitist of the avant-garde,” and “The last years.”
Amedeo Modigliani, Cariatide (1913).
Photo: Courtesy Paris, Musée d’Art Moderne.
“Inner Eye” also looks at Modigliani’s sculptural works and the influence that antiquities and non-western sculpture had on his oeuvre.
Modigliani’s sculptural pieces are just a small part of his output, but one that is highly popular with collectors. His sculpture Stone Tête (1911–12) sold in 2014 for a whopping $70.9 million before that record was smashed in November 2015 by his work Nu Couché (1917–18), which sold for $180 million, making it the second highest price ever reached at auction.
Amedeo Modigliani, Tête rouge (1915).
Photo: © Centre Pompidou, MNAM-CCI, Dist. RMN-Grand Palais / Adam Rzepka.
Modigliani moved to Paris in 1908 after graduating from art school and met the likes of Apollinaire, Picasso, Andre Derain, and Diego Rivera. He also met the sculptor Brancusi, who inspired the young artist to work in sculpture. The show at Lille features his 1913 bust Tête de Femme, Modigliani’s only work in marble.
Amedeo Modigliani, Tete de Femme (1913).
Photo: Philip Bernard.
Due to health problems and the sheer cost of making sculpture, Modigliani reverted to making only paintings and drawings from 1914 onwards, and began to make the work which has made him one of the most coveted and popular artists.
Amedeo Modigliani, Portrait de Roger Dutilleul (1919)
Photo: Sotheby’s / Art Digital Studio.
The Modern Art Museum in Lille (LaM) holds one of the greatest collections of works by Modigliani, which comes from the personal collection of Roger Dutilleul and Jean Masurel, the museum’s founders.
Dutilleul discovered Modigliani two years before his early death in 1918 and bought a large number of the artist’s works after he died. Between 1918 and 1946, he bought over 30 paintings by Modigliani and even more works on paper.
Amedeo Modigliani, Portrait de L’artiste en Costume de Pierrot (1915).
Photo: SMK Photo.
Amedeo Modigliani, Moïse Kisling (1916).
Photo: Philip Bernard.
“Modigliani: Inner Eye” is currently on view at LaM, Lille, until June 5, 2016.