Wikimedia Commons - Public Domain
Nu Couché
by Amedeo Modigliani, 1917
Artwork Details
Details
- Year
- 1917
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Size
- 60 cm × 92 cm (23.6 in × 36.2 in)
Auction History
$170.4M
Christie's / New York
November 9, 2015
Seller
Laura and Stafford Broumand
Buyer
Liu Yiqian
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Cite or Embed This Work
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Amedeo Modigliani painted the Nu Couché (Reclining Nude) in 1917, depicting a woman stretched across a crimson couch with a blue cushion. Her body twists with the elongated proportions characteristic of Modigliani's style, influenced by African sculpture and Italian Renaissance Mannerism. The figure gazes directly at the viewer with the artist's signature almond-shaped blank eyes.
When Modigliani exhibited these nudes at Galerie Berthe Weill in Paris in December 1917, police shut down the show on opening day. The stated offense was the frank depiction of pubic hair, visible to passersby from the street. It was Modigliani's only solo exhibition during his lifetime, and the scandal cemented his reputation as a provocateur.
The painting sold at Christie's New York in November 2015 for $170.4 million, the second-highest auction price ever at that time. Chinese billionaire Liu Yiqian acquired it for the Long Museum in Shanghai, reportedly inspired by a film about Modigliani's tragic life. The artist died of tubercular meningitis in 1920 at age 35.
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About Nu Couché
Police closed the show on opening day because Modigliani's nudes were visible from the street and depicted pubic hair, considered obscene in 1917 Paris. It was his only solo exhibition during his lifetime.
His figures feature elongated necks and faces, almond-shaped blank eyes, and mask-like simplicity. Influenced by African sculpture and Italian Mannerism, his portraits are unmistakably his while remaining deeply individual.
The work housed at the Long Museum West Bund in Shanghai, China. Billionaire Liu Yiqian purchased it in 2015 for his private museum, one of China's largest art institutions.
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