Modigliani: A new exhibition at the Musée de l'Orangerie

Modigliani in Paris

Amedeo Modigliani arrives in Paris in 1906. He was 22 years old. With a small sum of money in his pocket, he moved into a hotel near the Madeleine. He then took a studio on rue Caulaincourt, in the place called “maquis de Montmartre”. Oscillating, like many artists of the period, between Montmartre and Montparnasse, he made appearances in places frequented by artists, such as the Bateau-Lavoir and the Lapin Agile. Evicted several times from 1909 onwards due to unpaid rent, he moved from one lodging to another, and his life soon became a wandering one. Damaged by alcohol, drugs and difficult relationships, Amedeo Modigliani was the embodiment of the tormented artist. In his darkest hours, his salvation was Paul Guillaume, a great collector of African art. They met in 1914.


Paul Guillaume, left, and Amedeo Modigliani in Nice in 1917

Modigliani's gallery owner

Paul Guillaume became Modigliani's gallery owner in 1915. The painter and the dealer frequented the artistic and literary circles of Paris, and shared common tastes. Paul Guillaume encouraged Modigliani, tried to make him known and to sell his paintings. He continued to promote his protégé even as Modigliani met another major dealer.
All the works presented in this exhibition have a close connection with Paul Guillaume. Around a hundred paintings have passed through his hands, as well as a dozen sculptures and some fifty drawings.
 

Modigliani's influences and confluences

The early 20th century was marked by a growing interest among Western artists in primitive art, whose values and forms were considered original. Modigliani's classical education in Florence and Venice was overturned when, in 1908, he discovered ancient Egyptian reliefs and archaic Greek statuettes in the Louvre, Ivory Coast masks and Angkor temple fragments in the Musée du Trocadéro.
 

When Paul Guillaume opened his gallery in 1914, he simultaneously exhibited African sculptures and modern paintings. At the same time, Modigliani frequented the Musée d'Ethnographie du Trocadéro, demonstrating his interest in the art it conveyed.

The signature Modigliani

Modigliani's subjects often seem to express solitude, unless the artist deliberately wished to depersonalize his models, as if to mask them.


Young girl with striped blouse – 1917


Young brown girl seated – 1918


Young brown girl seated – 1918

Interacting with art

The Musée de l'Orangerie invites young and old alike to interact with a range of equipment made available to visitors.

The exhibition is a unique opportunity to discover or rediscover the works of one of the most influential artists of the 20th century. It's also a look at one of the most fruitful artistic relationships of the early 20th century. A must-see!



​Musée de l’Orangerie
Wednesday to Sunday, 9:00 am to 6:00 pm - Nocturne until 9:00 pm on Fridays​
https://www.musee-orangerie.fr/fr/agenda/expositions/amedeo-modigliani-un-peintre-et-son-marchand