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Dimensions: measurements 13 3/4 by 10 5/8 in. alternate measurements 35 by 27 cm
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Provenance: Paul Guillaume, Paris (illustrated in his photo-archives)Léopold Zborowski, ParisAlden Brooks, Paris (acquired from the above on November 19, 1928)Esther Robles Gallery, Los Angeles (on consignment from the above in 1964)Valerie Neel, Malibu (by inheritance from Alden Brooks in 1965 and sold: Christie's, London, July 9, 1965, lot 88)Wilkinsen (acquired at the above sale)Arthur Tooth & Sons, Ltd., LondonAcquired from the above by the present owner on October 30, 1965
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Exhibited: Pasadena, Pasadena Art Museum, A View of the Century, 1964, no. 24 (as dating from circa 1916)
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Literature: Arthur Pfannstiel, Modigliani, Paris, 1929, listed p. 27 (titled Tête de femme and catalogued as oil on canvas)Arthur Pfannstiel, Modigliani et son oeuvre. Étude critique et catalogue raisonné, Paris, 1956, no. 167, listed p. 108 (titled Tête de femme and catalogued as oil on canvas)J. Lanthemann, Modigliani, 1884-1920, Catalogue raisonné, Sa vie, son oeuvre complet, son art, Barcelona, 1970, no. 182, illustrated p. 208 (as dating from 1917 and catalogued as oil on canvas)
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Notes: This work will be included in the forthcoming catalogue raisonné of Amedeo Modigliani being prepared by Marc Restellini under the sponsorship of the Wildenstein Institute.
PROPERTY FROM A PRIVATE COLLECTION, TORONTO
No matter who his models were or how conservatively they dressed, Modigliani reveled in exposing the sensuality of his female sitters. Sometimes his focus was more explicit than others. In his portraits of his lover Jeanne Hebuterne, for example, he investigated every curve and contour of the woman's body. In this portrait of an anonymous red-headed model from 1917, he concentrates on the sensual mouth of the sitter. Even when he was depicting women he did not know well, he did not shy away from the possibility of seduction. Although his portraits are considered among the finest of the twentieth century, Modigliani's working methods during his sessions with his models were unorthodox. His devilish good looks and bacchanalian temperament sometimes intimidated his models, and his unprofessional antics would make for a lively, if not unnerving, afternoon in the studio. Lunia Czechowska, one of his most frequent models, described how the artist's joie de vivre got the better of him the first time he painted her portrait: "Gradually as the session went on and the hours passed, I was no longer afraid of him. I see him still in shirtsleeves, his hair all ruffled trying to fix my features on the canvas. From time to time he extended his hand toward a bottle of cheap table wine (vieux marc). I could see the alcohol taking effect: he was so exited he was talking to me in Italian. He painted with such violence that the painting fell over on his head as he leaned forward to see me better. I was terrified. Ashamed of having frightened me, he looked at me sweetly and began to sing Italian songs to make me forget the incident" (P. Sichel, A Biography of Amedeo Modigliani, New York, 1967, p. 325). Modigliani consigned this work to his first dealer, Paul Guillaume, and it appears among the photo-archives of Guillaume's inventory.
