A portrait previously unknown to the art world was recently verified in Venice as an authentic painting by Amadeo Modigliani after a lengthy process of testing and analysis. This astonishing ruling serves as a reminder for collectors that many lost works by the artist could still be undiscovered. Simultaneously, it is also certain to reignite a long-standing cultural fascination with the artist and his muse.
Amedeo Modigliani was one of the most prominent figures of the School of Paris, an international group of artists who lived and worked in the French capital during the early 20th Century, including Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, Piet Mondrian, and many more. Today, his paintings and sculptures are among the most valuable in the world, with his nude, Nu Couché (1917) having sold for $157.2 million at Sotheby’s on 14 May 2018.
Modigliani was known as a handsome and stylish creative on the bohemian Parisian art scene and often portrayed his lovers, including the Russian poet Anna Akhmatova, English poet Beatrice Hastings, and French painter Jeanne Hébuterne—with whom he formed a lasting relationship and had a daughter, the art historian Jeanne Modigliani.
The newly authenticated portrait features Hébuterne and was painted in 1919, during their last year together before the artist’s untimely death in January 1920 of tuberculosis. Measuring 27.5 x 19.2 cm and composed on a wooden board, the artwork is believed to be a preliminary study for a similar portrait held by the Metropolitan Museum of New York, adding to its historical value as an indicator of the artist’s creative process.
Forensic and stylistic analysis of the painting took place at the Thierry Radelet Laboratory in Torino, the Academy of Fine Arts in Venice, and the Universities of Genoa and of Modena and Reggio Emilia. Findings were further compiled and analyzed in New York, while forensic examination of the artist’s signature and an inscription on the painting’s reverse were made by experts for the Court of Venice before a final ruling of authenticity was concluded.
An inscription on the back of the painting was examined by Judicial Graphologist Dr. Milena Bellato, who confirmed it to be in the handwriting of Modigliani’s art dealer and friend Léopold Zborowski. This brief annotation indicates that the painting was gifted to the Baron of Bolognano in March 1920, after which it vanished until the 1970s when it was sold in Venice to its current owner, unrecognized, for a nominal sum.
The painting showcases Modigliani’s iconic style of portraiture, giving Hébuterne an elegant swan neck and elongated oval face. While simplistic, the artist’s signature interpretation of the human form never failed to portray a powerful emotional charge, as highlighted by his earlier muse Akhmatova, who wrote in her journal, “It came to me then that he must see things completely differently than we did.”
Such a unique vision and approach to composition is doubtless why Modigliani stands today as one of the most sought-after artists of the 20th century. While it is not yet known if this newly identified Modigliani painting will enter the art market, its authentication marks the good fortune of an unnamed owner, whose keen eye secured an unbeatable investment when the portrait was purchased, bringing the unknown portion of its journey came to a close.
