Sotheby’s London, June 2016: This elegant and lyrical work is among the most beautiful portraits Amedeo Modigliani painted of his lover Jeanne Hébuterne – revealing a tender moment between a pioneer in the world of modern art and his most loyal muse. The painting brings together the very best of the highly refined aesthetic that Modigliani had developed in the last few years before his premature death, whilst giving the viewer a glimpse into one of the most poignant love stories in 20th-century art history. Having been in a private collection since 1986, this exquisite work is expected to fetch in excess of £28m/$40m and will be offered alongside Pablo Picasso’s Cubist masterpiece of his lover Fernande Olivier, as part of Sotheby’s Impressionist & Modern Art Evening sale on 21 June 2016.Helena Newman, Global Co-Head of Sotheby’s Impressionist & Modern Art Department, said: “The pioneering Modern style with which Amedeo Modigliani sensuously depicted the female form is inextricably bound with his lover and muse Jeanne Hébuterne. This painting is one of the most alluring portraits that Modigliani painted of her and the finest to come to the market in a decade.”
Thomas Bompard, Head of Sotheby’s Impressionist & Modern Art Evening Sales, said: “There is such a fascinating dialogue between the Modigliani portrait of Jeanne and the Cubist portrait of Fernande by Picasso. Obsessed by their lovers’ features, both brought the Art of Portraiture into the Modern Era. One is expressed in beautiful curves and colours, the other is all about sharp angles and light effects. Each has been hidden away in their respective private collections for more than thirty years, which means that on 21 June collectors will have a once in a generation opportunity to acquire works of such outstanding calibre.”
Jeanne met Modigliani in 1917, when she was a young art student, and for the next three years she was his constant companion and source of inspiration. The two were devoted to each other – with Modigliani even pledging to marry her, despite her family’s protestations. Indeed, it is the portraits of Jeanne painted during the last years of his life are perhaps his most refined and accomplished works. In January 1920, Modigliani died of tubercular meningitis. Following the funeral, a twenty-two year old, and reputedly heavily pregnant, Jeanne was taken to her parents' home. There, inconsolable, she committed suicide by leaping from an upstairs window. The serene calm of Jeanne Hébuterne (au foulard) reveals a tender moment in their love story.
Amedeo Modigliani Jeanne Hébuterne (au foulard) signed Modigliani (upper right) oil on canvas 92 by 54cm. Painted in 1919. Estimate on request. - Mit freundlicher Genehmigung von: sothebys.com