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Artists in 60 Seconds: Amedeo Modigliani

Italian Painter and Sculptor

By Shelley Esaak, About.com

© Philadelphia Museum of Art; used with permission

Amedeo Modigliani (Italian, 1884-1920). Portrait of a Polish Woman, 1919. Oil on canvas. 100.3 x 64.8 cm (39 1/2 x 25 1/2 in.). The Louis E. Stern Collection, 1963.

© Philadelphia Museum of Art

Movement, Style, School or Type of Art

Expressionism

Date and Place of Birth

July 12, 1884, Livorno, Italy

Life

Raised by an indulgent, free-thinking mother, Modigliani was encouraged to become an artist. After formal studies in his native Italy, he moved and acquired somewhat legendary status in Parisian artistic circles. Aside from his universally recognized talent, he also became the living embodiment of Montparnasse party life. Though he was also a talented sculptor, he is best known for his painted figure studies, characterized by oval faces and long, smooth lines.

Important Works

  • The Jewess, 1908
  • Head, sculpture series, 1911-13
  • Madame Pompadour, 1915
  • The Sculptor Jacques Lipchitz and His Wife Berthe Lipchitz, 1916
  • Reclining Nude (Le Grande Nu), 1919

See pictures of Amedeo Modigliani's work in the Special Exhibition Gallery: Modigliani and His Times.

Date and Place of Death

January 24, 1920, Paris, France

How To Pronounce "Modigliani"

moe·dee·lee·yah·nee

Sources and Further Reading

  • Klein, Mason; Berger, Maurice; et al.. Modigliani: Beyond the Myth.
    New Haven : Yale University Press, 2004.

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  • Kruszynski, Anette. Amedeo Modigliani: Portraits and Nudes.
    Koln : Prestel, 1996.

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  • Mann, Carol. Modigliani (World of Art).
    New York : W. W. Norton & Co, Inc., 1991.

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  • Restellini, Marc. Modigliani: The Melancholy Angel.
    Milan : Skira, 2003.

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  • Wayne, Kenneth. Modigliani and the Artists of Montparnasse.
    New York : Harry N Abrams, 2002.

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Go to Artist Profiles: Names beginning with "M" or Artist Profiles: Main Index

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