Amedeo Modigliani

Expressionist painter Amedeo Modigliani (1884-1920) developed one of modern art's most recognizable styles through elongated forms and mask-like faces. Born in Livorno, Italy to a family of merchants, childhood illness interrupted his formal education but fostered his artistic ambitions. He studied in Florence and Venice before moving to Paris in 1906, where he encountered avant-garde circles and African sculpture that transformed his vision.

Modigliani initially focused on sculpture under Brancusi's influence before returning to painting around 1915. His portraits and nudes feature elongated necks, almond-shaped eyes, and simplified features that create haunting psychological presence. A 1917 exhibition of his nudes was shut down for indecency on opening day. Poverty, alcoholism, and tuberculosis marked his short life, and he died at 35, followed the next day by his pregnant partner Jeanne Hébuterne's suicide. Today works hang at the Museum of Modern Art, Tate Modern, and Musée de l'Orangerie. His paintings regularly achieve record auction prices.