International Art Treasures Web Magazine

November  2004  

• This Issue
• Subscribe
• Advertisers
• Ad FAQS
• Ad Web Sites
• About IAT
• Link to IAT

Modigliani: Beyond The Myth

Art Gallery of Ontario
October 23 through January 23, 2005

Title: Le Corsage Bleu unveiled at the Art Gallery of Ontario is included in Modigliani: Beyond the Myth opening October 23rd.
Joining AGO Director and CEO Matthew Teitelbaum (right) were actor Andy Garcia, director Mick Davis and producer Philippe Martinez (left) promoting their Gala film Modigliani at Toronto International Film Festival
Image Courtesy: The Art Gallery of Ontario

Who was Modigliani? What inspired him and his talent? The answers may lie in a retrospective of his work at the AGO and of his life, as portrayed in Modigliani a movie starring Andy Garcia that was recently presented at the 2004 Toronto International Film Festival.

Amedeo Modigliani, an Italian Jew of Sephardic ancestry, spent much of his early life in his homeland before moving to Paris in 1906 when he was 22. His time in Italy gave him the chance to study the Renaissance artists that he admired such as Botticelli and Titian. Once in Paris he quickly joined the Montmartre cafe scene drinking and carousing his nights away.

Within a few years, under the influence of Brancusi, he focused his attention on sculpture. The outbreak of the first World War limited the ability to find materials and the artist turned back to painting.

The last five years of his short life is often considered the time when his talent was most evident. Like many artists he was not appreciated in his lifetime, but he had the added burden of witnessing the developing career and success of a fellow Paris based artist, Pablo Picasso.

Title: Jeanne Hébuterne, 1919 Artist: Amedeo Modigliani (Italian, 1884-1920) Medium: Oil on Canvas Dimensions: 91.4 x 73.0 cm Permanent Collection: The Metropolitan Museum of Art Gift of: Mr. and Mrs. Nate B. Spingold, 1956 Image Courtesy: The Art Gallery of Ontario

Jeanne Hébuterne was the mother of his child and his inspiration. His portraits all feature elongated shapes and a vitality to the canvas.

Title: Jean Cocteau, 1916-1917
Artist: Amedeo Modigliani (Italian, 1884-1920)
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Dimensions: 100.4 x 81.3 cm
The Henry and Rose Pearlman Foundation, Inc
Image Courtesy: The Art Gallery of Ontario

In many ways Modigliani was his own worst enemy. He had tuberculosis and yet refused to give up alcohol or drugs, which worsened his condition. His favored subject was nudes, though he did have others in his portfolio. The only show he had during his lifetime was closed by the police citing 'filth' given the nudes in the galleries window.

Title: Madame Pompadour, 1915
Artist: Amedeo Modigliani (Italian, 1884-1920)
Medium: Oil on Canvas
Dimensions: 60.6 x 49.5 cm
Permanent Collection: The Art Institute of Chicago,
Joseph Winterbotham Collection
Image Courtesy: The Art Gallery of Ontario

Modigliani: Beyond the Myth is a fascinating retrospective of one of the most driven artists in recent history.

AGO Special Events:

November 10, 7 to 8:30 pm
Models and Manuscripts: A Fresh Look at Modigliani.
Dr. Kenneth Wayne, curator of Modern Art at the Albright-Knox Art Gallery will lecture on Modigliani.

Exhibition Schedule:

The Art Gallery of Ontario: Oct 23 through Jan 23, 2005

The Phillips Collection: Feb 26 through May 29, 2005