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Amadeo Modigliani
Original, signed, Amadeo Modigliani drawing of Mme Anka Zberowska in pencil

About the Item

This is a very exciting and very rare signed drawing by Amadeo Modigliani of Mme Anka Zberowska. Madame Zberwoska was the daughter of a Polish aristocrat who, with her husband, arrived in Paris in 1914. Both became very close to the Amadeo Modigliani, especially as her husband Leo was his main agent. She remained his primary model, until his early death aged only 35. It is likely therefore that this drawing was executed only a few years before his death. Other artists who painted her include Utrillo, Derain and Foujita. Modigliani drawings are both uncommon and highly sought after, so given its excellent Provenance and Literary references this is a rare chance to acquire a work by one of the all time great painters of one of his most well known sitters. The details of this work are as follows: Amadeo Modigliani (Italian, 1884-1920) 'Femme Accoudee' Portrait of de Mme Anka Zberowska pencil on paper laid down on board signed 16 x 9.3/4 in. (41 x 25 cm.) Provenance: Madame Hanka Zborowska (wife of the artist’s dealer); Galerie Zac, Paris; Ronauld Laaren, The Netherlands; Parke-Bernet, New York, 13th May 1964; Bloomsbury Auctions, London, 12th July 2009; Private Collection Guernsey. Literature: Oscaldo Patani, Amadeo Modigliani, Catalogue generale; Disegni 1906-1920, Milano 1991. no. 124. Illustrated. A photo-certificate issued by the Wildenstein Institute, Paris was issued for this work. The primitive style of this Expressionist painter is perhaps best epitomised by the many portraits he painted of Hanka (Anka). Many hang in major art galleries, such as the New York Museum of Modern Art and the Tate gallery. The full condition report to the work is as follows: The work has recently been restored to a very high standard. The paper was skilfully removed from various layers of backing paper which endangered the drawing through oxidisation. It has now been expertly cleaned and backed onto acid free paper. There are historical repairs to the corners but the image is so much clearer than it was and the trademark delicate pencil marks can now be seen properly. It is in a bespoke hand finished composite frame of recent construction in perfect condition, behind a peachy coloured mount and gilt slip edge, behind glass. Little known outside of Paris during his lifetime, Modigliani is now recognized as one of the greatest figurative painters of the early twentieth century. His distinctive nudes and portraits of friends from the vibrant artistic community of Montmartre display his characteristic use of bold contours, long oval faces, and elongated bodies. Born in Italy to Jewish parents, Modigliani moved to Paris in 1906, where he joined the vibrant artistic community of Montmartre. There, he met artists Pablo Picasso and Constantin Brancusi, who were pushing forward new modernist forms of art-making and appropriating the formal qualities of African art then circulating in Paris. The reductive nature of Modigliani’s compositions owes to both of these influences and to the artist’s admiration for classical Italian Renaissance painting, which he learned about as an art student in Florence and Venice.
  • Creator:
    Amadeo Modigliani (1884 - 1920, Italian)
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 16 in (40.64 cm)Width: 9.75 in (24.77 cm)Depth: 1 in (2.54 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
    The work has recently been restored to a very high standard. The paper was skilfully removed from various layers of backing paper which endangered the drawing through oxidisation. It has now been expertly cleaned and backed onto acid free paper.
  • Gallery Location:
    Petworth, GB
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU540314029552

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