Amedeo Modigliani was an Italian painter and sculptor. He was born in 1884 in Livorno, Italy. His nudes and portraits are among the most-important portraits of the 20th century. They are characterized by elongated figures, asymmetrical compositions, and a monumental but simple use of line. Modigliani suffered from pleurisy and typhus and a young age. This prevented him from receiving conventional education. He began to study painting in 1898. After a brief stay in Florence in 1902, he continued his studies in Venice and remained there until 1906, when he decided to move to Paris. Modigliani’s early admiration for Italian Renaissance painting was to last throughout his life.
Modigliani became interested in the Post-Impressionist paintings of Paul Cezanne that really influenced his work. His initial important contacts were with the artist Pablo Picasso, with the poets Max Jacob and Andre Salmon, and with Paul Alexandre, who was the first to become interested in his works and to buy them. Paul Alexandre was also a friend of many avant-garde artists. In 1908, Modigliani exhibited about six of his paintings at the Salon des Independants with much success. In 1909, he met Constantin Brancusi, a Romanian sculptor whose advice made him to study African sculpture seriously. In his drawings Modigliani tried to give the function of enclosing volumes to his contours. He returned entirely to painting in 1915, but his experience as a sculptor had serious impact on his painting style. The paintings were characterized by his sculptured heads: simplified features, long oval faces, and long noses and necks. Ready to mount framed Amedeo Modigliani art is available for both corporate and private collectors.