Portrait of Maude Abrantes

Italian artist Amedeo Modigliani painted this Portrait of Maude Abrantes around 1907-1908, one of his earlier works before he fully developed the elongated forms that would define his mature style. The painting shows hints of what was to come, particularly in the figure's lengthened neck and somber expression. But it contains more detail in clothing and features than his later, more simplified portraits.

The subject, Maude Abrantes (born Leontine Phipps), was an American artist and socialite heavily involved in Parisian bohemian circles. She suffered from a serious morphine addiction, which brought her into contact with Modigliani's turbulent social world. She accompanied him to various Paris events, and he knew her well enough to capture her personality within this portrait. Abrantes left Paris for New York in 1908.

The painting measures 50.1 x 80.6 cm and resides at the Hecht Museum at the University of Haifa. In 2018, X-ray analysis revealed two unfinished portraits beneath this canvas, evidence of Modigliani reusing materials like many struggling artists of the period.