Amedeo Modigliani

Dr Paul Alexandre, Paris (acquired from the artist)
By descent to the present owner

Venice, Palazzo Grassi ; London, The Royal Academy of Arts (travelling exhibition also passing through Cologne, Madrid, Bruges, Tokyo, Luxembourg, New York, Montreal & Rouen), Modigliani inconnu : Dessins de la Collection Paul Alexandre, 1993-96, no. 331

Noël Alexandre, Modigliani inconnu, Témoignages, documents et dessins inédits de l'ancienne collection de Paul Alexandre, Paris, 1993, no. 331, illustrated pl. 412, p. 420
Osvaldo Patani, Amedeo Modigliani, Catalogue Generale, Disegni 1906-1920 con i disegni provenienti dalla collezione Paul Alexandre (1906-1914), Milan, 1994, no. 777, illustrated p. 350

Executed on white wove paper, not laid down, floating in the mount, fixed at two points along the upper edge. The right edge is deckled. There are some traces of a previous mount that have led to minor discoloration visible along the upper edge, otherwise this work is in excellent condition.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The present work is one of series of portraits Modigliani made of his patron Paul Alexandre in the year 1909. The two men had known each other for two years and had become close friends. After persuading his father, Jean-Baptiste Alexandre, to sit for the young painter in 1908, in 1909 Paul Alexandre himself agreed to pose. The result was three paintings, all painted the same year, as well as a beautiful group of drawings (numbered 408 to 414 in the catalogue by Noël Alexandre, Modigliani Inconnu, Dessins de la Collection Paul Alexandre, Paris, 1996). These drawings, in which Paul Alexandre adopts more or less the same pose, all appear to be studies for the two majestic portraits Paul Alexandre sur fond brun (Tokyo Fuji Art Museum, Tokyo) and Paul Alexandre sur fond vert. The present drawing is undeniably the most accomplished of the series: though the face bears the most similarity with the painting Paul Alexandre sur fond vert, the pose of the model with his hand in his pocket, is that adopted by Modigliani in the painting Paul Alexandre sur fond brun.

This portrait differs from Modigliani’s later portraits of his patron (between 1911 and 1914). Whereas the 1909 portraits are urbane, depicting Paul Alexandre in an aristocratic pose against opulent decor, the later portraits are more introspective. The present drawing demonstrates the artist’s masterful technique. The pencil strokes are extremely confident, with no hesitation, while the composition creates an impression of balance and dynamism: the folds of the curtain echo the curves of the suit, creating an ascending movement, and the visible frame in the foreground introduces vertical and horizontal lines that structure the ensemble. We see the remarkable technique so praised by Alexandre himself in these terms: “His great post-war creations were long thought-out and developed. He would then produce a masterpiece. [...] When he had a figure in mind, he drew feverishly, at amazing speed, never correcting himself, restarting the same drawing ten times in the same evening by candlelight, in order to obtain the desired contour in a satisfying way. Therein lies the purety and incomparable freshness of his finest drawings” (in Noël Alexandre,  Modigliani Inconnu, Dessins de la Collection Paul Alexandre, Paris, 1996, p. 65).