Amedeo Modigliani

Léopold Zborowski, Paris

Galerie Paul & Gilbert Pétridès, Paris

Duveen Collection, London (by 1955)

André Lefèvre, Paris (sold: Palais Galliéra, Paris, November 25, 1965, lot 68)

Private Collection, Switzerland

Sale: Phillips, de Pury & Luxembourg, New York, May 7, 2001, lot 33

Acquired at the above sale by the present owner

Bern, Kunsthalle, Modigliani, Campigli, Sironi, 1955, no. 31

Paris, Musée National d'Art Moderne, Collection André Lefèvre, 1964, no. 204, illustrated in color in the catalogue

Martigny, Fondation Pierre Gianadda, Modigliani, 1990, no. 66, illustrated in color in the catalogue

Ambrogio Ceroni & Leone Piccioni, I dipinti di Modigliani, Milan, 1970, no. 208, illustrated p. 99

Joseph Lanthemann, Modigliani 1884-1920, catalogue raisonné: sa vie, son oeuvre complet, son art, Barcelona, 1970, no. 294, illustrated p. 294 (as dating from 1918)

Osvaldo Patani, Amedeo Modigliani, catalogo generale: dipinti, Milan, 1991, no. 214, illustrated p. 226

The canvas is unlined, however the lower left corner has been strip-lined. There some retouchings visible under UV light: a small area in the woman's hair, three tiny spots on her neck, and two lines running down the extreme left edge. Otherwise in good condition. Colors: The flesh tones are warmer, the blue is more of an aqua tonality, the band on the left has more of a golden undertone and there is less purple in the background than what appears in the catalogue illustration.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Painted in 1917, Louise is a beautiful and poignant portrait dating from perhaps the most important moment of Modigliani's career. It was in the spring of that year that the artist met Jeanne Hébuterne, whose depictions would come to represent the highpoint of his style. While depicting an anonymous sitter, simply identified by her first name, Louise is a moving portrait that reflects the artist's interest in the personality and psychology of his models. This elegant image powerfully synthesizes all those characteristic traits which Modigliani developed in his post-1916 portraits (figs. 1 & 2): the geometric simplification of the female form, the gentle curve of her bust, the elongated neck and face with vacant almond-shaped eyes that prevent the viewer from communicating with the sitter, enveloping her in an enigmatic and impenetrable mood, and the stylized facial features.

 

This mannerist style that characterized Modigliani's painting is partly derived from the artist's fascination with the Old Masters of his native Italy. As Werner Schmalenbach wrote: "Historical associations impose themselves: echoes not only of the fifteenth-century Mannerism of Sandro Botticelli but of the classic sixteenth- and seventeenth-century Mannerism of Pontormo, Parmigianino and perhaps also El Greco. One work often mentioned in connection with Modigliani's late portraits of women is Parmigianino's Madonna dal collo lungo; Pontormo's St. Anne Alterpiece is equally relevant. Modigliani had a sound knowledge of Italian art, and we must assume that he was well aware of all this, however direct or indirect the actual influence" (W. Schmalenbach, Modigliani, Munich, 1980, p. 42).

 

Apart from these historical influences, Modigliani was acutely aware of the artistic developments of his own time. Although he never completely subscribed to the syntax of Cubism, he adopted some of its stylistic devices such as the geometric simplification and break-up of forms, and was close to the sculptors Ossip Zadkine and Jacques Lipchitz, both of whom were strongly influenced by Cubism. Even more important perhaps was his relationship with Brancusi, whom he met in 1909. Brancusi not only encouraged him to carve directly in stone, causing him to virtually abandon painting for several years, but also gave the most convincing demonstration of how influences from the widest possible range of sources – tribal, archaic, Asian and African – could be transformed into a personal idiom of the greatest originality. Although Modigliani never developed a style as close to abstraction and as far removed from the world of natural appearances as that of Brancusi, he was strongly influenced by Brancusi's simplified forms, reducing his sitters' face to a few highly stylized features. What distinguishes Modigliani's portraits is the balance between his unique mannerism and stylization on one hand, and a naturalism and interest in the psychology of his sitters on the other.

 

The first owner of this work was Léopold Zborowski, who became Modigliani's dealer after the end of the artist's relationship with Paul Guillaume. Zborowski, who had arrived in Paris in 1913, was introduced to Modigliani probably in 1915 by Moïse Kisling, who lived in the same building. Although he did not open a gallery until 1926, Zborowski began to deal in art from his apartment, installing Modigliani in one of the rooms and providing him with models and materials. Modigliani executed several portraits of Zborowski and his wife.