100 paintings - School of Paris
Amedeo Modigliani: 100 essential paintings
Modern nudes, Jeanne Hébuterne, artists from Montparnasse, children and popular figures: one hundred paintings documented to understand Modigliani.
Each notice tells what the work represents, its context and what makes it unique. The images open the Alpha Reproduction sheets; a second link leads to the documentary source.
Why Modigliani matters
The line as destiny of the face
Modigliani did not apply a single formula to all of its models. Its elongated line serves in turn sensuality, reserve, vulnerability or assurance.
The neck, eyes and posture are not style tics: they organize the relationship between the model and the viewer.
The route follows the real evolution of the works and identifies the people, contexts and issues specific to each painting.
Enter the rankingAmedeo Modigliani's 100 essential paintings
The decisive cycle of 1916 -1918 and its framing without mythological pretext.
#1
Naked woman lying on a pillow
Painted in 1917, this naked woman lying on a pillow belongs to the cycle that establishes Modigliani as one of the renovators of the modern nude. The body occupies almost the entire width, without mythological hindsight or protective decoration. The white pillow accentuates the dark face and direct gaze. The continuous line nevertheless transforms the frankness of the pose into a calm construction, more sculptural than anecdotal.
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#2
Portrait of Jeanne Hébuterne seated in profile
Jeanne Hébuterne is represented in profile in 1918, seated in front of an almost bare gray background. Modigliani reduces the pose to a few decisive relationships: the red cap, the long light neck, the dark clothing and the chair cut by the frame. Companion of the artist since 1917, Jeanne is not described by biographical accessories; its silhouette becomes a silent architecture, both close and distant.
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#3
Naked lying with hair untied
The model turns her face towards the viewer while her black hair spreads over the shoulder and the background. Created in 1917, the work belongs to the nudes financed and distributed by the merchant Léopold Zborowski. The orange skin stands out from a very tight brown and green environment. This voluntary proximity eliminates the traditional distance between the exposed nude and the viewer.
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#4
Naked lying
In this reclining nude, the head rests on a light cloth and the body stretches diagonally on a dark red blanket. Modigliani takes up an ancient pose, inherited from the reclining Venus, but rules out any mythological pretext. The model remains aware of the outside gaze. The model remains aware of the outside gaze. The black contours, warm range and flattened space give the 1917 image a modern, direct and fully assumed presence.
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#5
Naked on a blue cushion
Preserved at the National Gallery of Art, this 1917 nude rests on a blue cushion which contrasts with the earthy brown of the background. The hand supports the cheek and the smile remains barely outlined. The body is cut at the knees, as if forcibly brought closer to the viewer. Modigliani thus combines a relaxed, almost familiar pose, with a very controlled line which maintains the unity of the figure.
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#6
Naked lying from behind
The Back Nude from 1917 reverses the usual face-to-face encounter of the series. The spine and hips draw a long curve while the face, turned over, reestablishes discreet contact with the viewer. At the Barnes Foundation, the work shows that Modigliani does not treat the back as an anatomical study: he makes it the axis of a composition made of rhythms, sheets and warm tones.
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#7
Jeanne Hébuterne seated
Jeanne Hébuterne sits from the front, hands clasped on her knees, in this 1918 painting kept at the Kunsthaus Zurich. His dark clothing forms a vertical mass that the oval face and elongated neck extend. The unevenly defined eyes prevent any simple psychological reading. Modigliani paints less for an instant than a lasting state of presence, held back by the stability of the pose.
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#8
Naked sitting at the necklace
A simple necklace is enough to modify the reading of this seated nude from 1917. It draws the eye towards the neck and connects the head to the torso, while the hand placed on the chest introduces a gesture of restraint. The bed is only indicated by a few light surfaces. Modigliani avoids decorative accumulation and concentrates sensuality on the rhythm of the shoulders, arms and face.
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#9
Naked sitting
Dated 1909, this seated nude precedes the large reclining figures from 1916 -1917. The frontal silhouette, the close arms and the almost motionless face already reveal Modigliani's interest in sculpture and archaic forms. The material remains rougher than in late works. The material remains rougher than in late works. The painting documents a stage of research where the body first becomes volume, axis and painted surface.
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#10
Naked suffering
The traditional title, Suffering Nude, directs the reading towards the vulnerability of the model. Painted in 1908, the figure appears thin, vertical and almost erased by a background worked in gray and brown. Nothing evokes the sensual fullness of the nudes of 1917. This early work shows Modigliani seeking a harsher expression, where the fragility of the body counts as much as the elegance of the line.
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#11
Naked in the hat
The black hat gives this 1908 nude a strange identity: a social accessory held on a bare body, it prevents the scene from falling into academic timelessness. The painting remains deliberately rough, with grays, dirty whites and visible covers. Modigliani thus contrasts the verticality of the headgear with nudity, creating a modern figure whose discomfort is part of the meaning.
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#12
Standing nude (Elvira)
Elvira stands, arms at her sides, in this 1918 painting kept at the Museum of Fine Arts in Bern. The frontality is reminiscent of a statue, but the slight movement of the shoulders and the asymmetry of the face make the pose come alive. Modigliani lengthens the figure without erasing its weight. The work combines the audacity of the full nude with a serious, almost ceremonial immobility.
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#13
Nude lying on blue cushion
Painted in 1916, this elongated nude rests the head on a blue cushion which structures the entire left part of the canvas. The light body then crosses a brown background without real depth. The pose seems abandoned, but the line which connects shoulder, waist and legs is strongly calculated. This economy announces the nudes of 1917, where Modigliani will make the tight framing a form of confrontation.
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#14
Naked on the couch
In Naked on a Couch, dated 1918 and kept at the National Gallery of Art, the model raises one arm and leans her head on her hand. The blue cushion, brown sofa and pink skin form three large colored areas. The look, slightly amused, breaks with the idea of a passive body. The look, slightly amused, breaks with the idea of a passive body. Modigliani transforms the pose into an exchange, without sacrificing the decorative continuity of the outline.
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The artist's companion, her merchants and the immediate circle.
#15
Head of Jeanne Hébuterne to the right
This 1918 head isolates Jeanne Hébuterne and almost completely eliminates the body. The face turns to the right, while the dark hair forms a mass that emphasizes the light oval. The small mouth, stretched nose and non-symmetrical eyes do not seek photographic resemblance. Modigliani condenses the portrait into precise signs, recognizable without becoming mechanical.
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#16
Jeanne Hébuterne at the Hat and Necklace
The hat and necklace give Jeanne Hébuterne an urban elegance in this 1917 painting. The wide edge frames the face, while the chain accompanies the disproportionately elongated neck. These accessories are not simple ornaments: they organize the composition in circles and verticals. Modigliani transforms a contemporary outfit into an almost iconic image, where fashion serves the structure of the portrait.
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#17
Jeanne Hébuterne in the big hat
Painted in 1918, Joan with the Big Hat shows how Modigliani can construct a portrait from an immediately readable silhouette. The hat occupies almost the entire upper width, the neck forms a narrow axis and the hand closes the pose. The earthy background does not describe any place. This absence of decoration gives the model a mental presence, as if removed from everyday time.
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#18
Portrait of Leopold Zborowski
Léopold Zborowski, poet turned merchant, supported Modigliani from 1916 and organized his only personal exhibition during his lifetime in 1917. In this 1916 portrait, his bearded face emerges from a dark suit treated with sobriety. The painter avoids signs of commercial success. Rather, he retains an attentive and reserved attitude, giving the merchant the gravity of an intellectual partner.
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#19
Portrait of Moses Kisling
Moïse Kisling, a painter of Polish origin based in Montparnasse, shares workshops, models and friendships with Modigliani. In this 1915 portrait kept at the Pinacothèque de Brera, the head is broad, almost compact, and the gaze strongly asymmetrical. The proximity between the two artists does not result in a flattering image: Modigliani favors the character, mass and intensity of the face.
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#20
Jeanne Hébuterne
This Jeanne Hébuterne from 1919 appears in a light dress, inclined against the back of a seat. The oblique pose softens the frontal pattern often associated with Modigliani. The face remains calm, but the hand near the neck introduces an intimate movement. Created during the couple's last years, the work combines daily familiarity and stylization, without transforming Jeanne into a simple biographical emblem.
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#21
Portrait of Paul Guillaume
Paul Guillaume was one of the first merchants to defend Modigliani in 1914. In this 1915 portrait painted on cardboard, the young man appears in a dark suit in front of a table, with suppressed confidence. The elongated face and visible hands balance social ambition and reserve. The work testifies to the role of merchants in the Parisian avant-garde while remaining a very individual portrait.
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#22
Portrait of Chaïm Soutine
Chaïm Soutine, a painter born in what is now Belarus, was close to Modigliani in Montparnasse. This 1916 portrait does not seek to soften his features: tight mouth, protruding ears and narrow face make up a nervous presence. The background and the costume blend into deep browns. Friendship here allows a frankness which transforms distortion into recognition rather than caricature.
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#23
Portrait of Pablo Picasso
Modigliani painted Picasso in 1915, when the Spanish painter was already a central figure of the avant-garde. The broad face, close-set eyes and red bow create a compact, almost provocative image. The inscription visible in the upper part brings the portrait closer to a dedication. Modigliani recognizes Picasso's authority without adopting cubism, asserting his own line-based path.
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#24
Paul Guillaume, Novo Pilota
The inscription "Novo Pilota", a new pilot, presents Paul Guillaume as the one who can guide modern art. Painted in 1915 and kept at the Musée de l'Orangerie, the canvas shows the merchant in a suit, hat and tie, in front of a background bearing his name. The device is almost a poster. Modigliani nevertheless transforms this promotional declaration into a tense portrait, where ambition can be seen in posture.
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#25
Chaïm Soutine
In this second portrait, painted around 1917, Soutine sits face-to-face in a dark suit. The narrow shoulders and close hands give the body a fragility which contrasts with the brightly modeled head. Modigliani does not repeat his previous image: he observes another state of the model, calmer and more interior. The series reminds us that his portraits are born from real attendance.
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#26
Juan Grey
Juan Gris, a major player in Cubism, was painted in 1915 in a very close framing. At the Metropolitan Museum, his inclined head occupies almost the entire format and the white collar contrasts with the dark background. Modigliani does not take up facets or cubist geometry. Rather, he translates his colleague's concentrated intelligence into the angle of the face, the tension of the eyebrows and the sobriety of the palette.
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#27
Jean Cocteau
The poet Jean Cocteau posed in 1916, stiff in an armchair and dressed in a carefully fitted blue suit. The slim body, long hands and pointed face extend his image as a worldly man of letters. Modigliani uses the vertical format to accentuate this nervous elegance. The portrait is less an illustration of fame than a critical reading of the model's confidence and distance.
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#28
Max Jacob
Max Jacob, poet, critic and figure of the Bateau-Lavoir, is represented in 1910 with a clear forehead and a heavily modeled face. The thick material and dark colors still belong to Modigliani's transition period. Before the fluid line of late portraits, the painter here seeks character in density. The painting establishes one of the essential transmitters between modern poetry and painting.
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#29
Anna Zborowska
Anna Zborowska, wife of Leopold, appeared in 1917 in a black dress which brought out her very pale face. Preserved at the Museum of Modern Art, the canvas is constructed by long verticals: neck, bust, back and edge of the frame. The light eyes do not respond exactly. This asymmetry gives an interior life to the model while maintaining the almost abstract elegance of the silhouette.
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#30
Lunia Czechowska
Lunia Czechowska, friend of the Zborowskis, became one of Modigliani's regular models during the war. In this 1919 portrait, the face and neck reach extreme length, compensated by shoulder stability. Simplification does not erase individuality: high forehead, calm eyes and tight mouth build a recognizable presence, far from any worldly idealization.
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#31
Jacques and Berthe Lipchitz
The sculptor Jacques Lipchitz commissioned this double portrait from 1916 with his wife Berthe. At the Art Institute of Chicago, the two figures are not placed on the same plane: Jacques dominates slightly, while Berthe stands out with her white collar. Modigliani adapts his elongated vocabulary to a real couple and organizes intimacy without demonstrative gestures, through the proximity of bodies and the continuity of the background.
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#32
Portrait of Diego Rivera
Diego Rivera was staying in Paris when Modigliani painted him in 1916. The future Mexican muralist appeared with a massive head, a very short neck and a direct gaze, far from the usual tapered silhouettes. Painted on cardboard and kept in Sao Paulo, the work respects the build of the model. It shows that Modigliani's style is not a unique formula, but a distortion adjusted to each presence.
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#33
Portrait of Beatrice Hastings
Béatrice Hastings, British writer and journalist, shared Modigliani's life from 1914 to 1916. In this portrait, the short hair, dark hat and frontal gaze gave the model a combative presence. Their relationship was stormy, but the painting is not reduced to this story. Modigliani makes Hastings a modern, compact intellectual, conscious of the viewer.
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#34
The cellist
The Cellist, painted in 1909, belongs to Modigliani's ambitious early Parisian portraits. The instrument occupies a wide diagonal and gives the seated body a structure that the studio decor extends. The musician is not shown in the middle of a concert: he holds the bow and remains focused. The work combines portrait and craft, already revealing the painter's taste for figures defined by an attitude.
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#35
The Amazon
The Amazon represents Baroness Marguerite de Hasse de Villers in riding attire. Commissioned around 1909 by Doctor Paul Alexandre, the portrait was ultimately not acquired by the model. The yellow jacket, black tie and hand on the hip compose an image of unusual feminine authority. Modigliani here confronts the worldly portrait with a harsh simplification which refuses flattery.
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#36
The Algerian
Painted in 1917, The Algerian shows a closely framed female bust, with a dark garment open to a light collar. The old title points out how the models were then identified by a supposed origin, often without a preserved biography. Rather than inventing an exoticism, Modigliani concentrates the canvas on the face, hairstyle and shoulder balance, giving the model a sober individuality.
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#37
Beatrice Hastings in front of a door
Beatrice Hastings stands in front of a door in this 1915 portrait. The vertical panel behind her redoubles the thinness of the body, while the hat and dress structure the silhouette in dark masses. The door does not tell of an event; it serves as a frame. Modigliani thus transforms an ordinary domestic space into a scene of confrontation, where Hastings appears autonomous and fully aware of his pose.
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#38
The Jewess
La Juive, painted in 1908, belongs to Modigliani's first ambitious works in Paris. The title does not reveal the identity of the model but reflects a period designation, also linked to the artist's Jewish origins. The frontal face, dark clothing and thick material produce a serious image. Before its famous ovals, Modigliani already sought to unite social belonging and personal singularity.
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#39
Boy in sailor suit
This boy in a sailor's suit, painted around 1918, sits frontally, his hands resting on his knees. The large white collar cuts out the black bust and gives the figure an almost geometric clarity. Modigliani painted several children in the South during the war, often without a preserved name. He grants them the same calm monumentality as to the artists and merchants of Montparnasse.
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#40
Madame Pompadour
Under the ironic nickname of Madame Pompadour hides Béatrice Hastings. Painted in 1915 and kept in Chicago, she wears a yellow jacket, a small hat and places her hand on her hip. The title plays with the image of the royal favorite, but the outfit is resolutely contemporary. Modigliani combines affectionate satire, body confidence and vertical construction in one of his most incisive portraits.
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#41
Boy sitting with a cap
The boy is seated on a chair, cap screwed on his head and hands close together, in this 1918 canvas. The framing leaves little room for the decor and gives the seat a role of frame. The wise pose does not erase the distrust of the gaze. Modigliani avoids touching childhood: he paints an individual who supports the presence of the spectator with almost adult restraint.
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Modest presences to which Modigliani gives monumental dignity.
#42
Boy in the Blue Jacket
The blue of the jacket invades almost the entire composition and isolates the light face of this boy painted in 1918. Sitting from the front, he wears no narrative attributes apart from his clothing and the red chair. Simplified hands close the pose. The work shows how Modigliani gives anonymous models a pictorial dignity equal to that of his famous friends, without inventing a story for them.
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#43
The Fat Child
The Fat Child, painted in 1915 and kept at the Pinacoteca di Brera, stands out from the filiform silhouettes associated with Modigliani. The round face, short neck and massive bust impose another proportion. The old title may seem brutal, but the painting does not ridicule the child. It focuses on the real weight of the body, the frontality and the serious expression of the model.
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#44
The Little Peasant
The Little Peasant was painted in 1918, during Modigliani's stay in the south of France. Kept at the National Gallery in London, the boy wears a blue jacket and sits in front of a light background, without picturesque rural decor. His broad hands and attentive face give weight to the figure. The painting makes a modest model a monumental portrait and not a social type.
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#45
The Concierge's Son
The Concierge's Son belongs to portraits of children and adolescents taken towards the end of the war. The title retains the family status rather than the model's first name, recalling the social hierarchies of the time. Modigliani corrects this lack of identity through painting: frontal posture, visible hands and serious gaze give the young boy an autonomous presence, without decoration or sentimental anecdote.
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#46
The young peasant
Painted in 1918 and today at the Artizon museum, The Young Peasant shows a teenager sitting, simply dressed, in front of a light background. Modigliani describes neither agricultural tool nor landscape. The word "peasant" comes from the context of the model, not from a staging. The word "peasant" comes from the context of the model, not from a staging. The canvas thus moves the popular portrait towards a form of modern classicism based on stability, restraint and dignity.
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#47
Girl with braids
The two braids organize this young girl's face like side lines, while the red bodice brings the main colorful note. Painted around 1918, the canvas keeps the model in a frontal pose, attentive, without play or accessories. Modigliani refuses the decorative childish portrait. The hairstyle, the look and the slight asymmetry of the mouth are enough to bring a personality into existence.
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#48
Little girl standing in black apron
This little girl standing in a black apron, painted in 1918 and kept at the Kunstmuseum in Basel, occupies almost the entire height of the format. The apron draws a large dark shape that the white collar and arms interrupt. The pose is reminiscent of a school photograph, but the simplified background and elongated proportions move it towards the icon. The child remains serious, never transformed into a touching motif.
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#49
The Little Handmaid
The Little Handmaid, painted in 1916 and kept at the Kunsthaus Zurich, sits three-quarters in a modest brown outfit. The profession indicated by the title is not accompanied by any domestic accessories. Modigliani focuses everything on posture, hands and face. The painting thus removes the young worker from the social anecdote to give her the space and gravity of an independent portrait.
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#50
Girl in white blouse
The white blouse illuminates the face and arms of this young girl painted around 1918. The small framed format and brown background could evoke a conventional portrait, but the long neck, light eyes and deliberately simplified design move the image. Modigliani uses clothing as a luminous surface and leaves the expression indecisive, between reserve, fatigue and attention.
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#51
Portrait of a young girl in a blue blouse
This young girl in the blue blouse, painted around 1910 and kept at the Hiroshima Art Museum, still belongs to Modigliani's early research. The dark blue unifies the bust while the face, slightly inclined, remains rougher than in the portraits of 1917 -1919. The work shows the transition between a material inherited from Cézanne and the smoother line which will become his signature.
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#52
Girl in green blouse
The green blouse occupies a large light area and gives the portrait its chromatic balance. The young girl, painted around 1918, stands straight in front of an orange-brown background, without interaction with the viewer. Modigliani contrasts the simple shape of the garment with the finesse of the neck and face. The painting draws its strength from a very measured contrast between bold color and silent expression.
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#53
Portrait of a girl
Preserved at the National Gallery in London, this Portrait of a Girl from 1917 shows a model with short hair in front of a dark background. The head appears slightly too large for the bust, accentuating the concentration of the face. The eyes are not treated identically, a common procedure in Modigliani. This asymmetry does not mean absence: it gives the gaze a depth that is difficult to fix.
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#54
Redhead girl
The Red Girl, painted in 1915 and kept at the Musée de l'Orangerie, is built around orange hair which responds to the warm background. The light face and dark clothing create a second contrast. Modigliani does not transform hair color into picturesque. He uses it to unite the model with the canvas and reinforce the balance between individual presence and formal simplification.
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#55
Young girl with black hair
This young girl with black hair, dated 1918, stands out against a gray-green background with an almost monastic austerity. The white collar lights up the face, while the short hair closes its oval shape. The tight mouth and unevenly open eyes hold back emotion. Modigliani gives the anonymous model an intensity that depends neither on a famous name nor on decor.
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#56
Girl in hat
The large brown hat widens the upper part of this 1918 portrait and contrasts with the narrow bust. The model looks from the front, in a gray jacket closed up to the neck. Modigliani uses the accessory to structure the silhouette rather than to signal social rank. The image retains a deliberate harshness, particularly in the cheeks and the purple background, which prevents any easy elegance.
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#57
Woman with a black tie
The black tie gives this woman painted around 1917 a deliberately androgynous and modern look. The white blouse, light jacket and dark bow focus attention on the top of the bust. Modigliani does not comment on the garment; he uses its vertical lines to extend the neck and stabilize the inclined head. The portrait makes social autonomy as much as elegance visible.
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#58
Woman with earrings
Kept at the Museum of Modern Art in Paris, this Woman with Earrings from 1917 combines a long face with two small side bursts of light. The jewelry catches the eye without dominating the face. The dark clothing and neutral background allow the neck to become the main axis. Modigliani thus transforms a worldly detail into punctuation, serving a calm and strongly constructed presence.
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#59
Woman with red hair
This red-haired woman, painted around 1917, sits three-quarters and rests one arm on the backrest. The warm hair responds to the wood of the chair, while the light collar detaches the face. The gesture creates real relaxation, away from the frontal pose. The gesture creates real relaxation, away from the frontal pose. Modigliani uses furniture and color here to render a precise attitude rather than a simple feminine type.
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#60
Woman in white bodice
Painted in 1917 and kept at the National Museum of Fine Arts in Buenos Aires, the Woman with the White Bodice is framed at mid-body. The light garment opens the silhouette and brings out the dark head. The hands are not visible: all expression comes through the inclination, the mouth and the bluish eyes. The work illustrates Modigliani's economy, capable of producing a presence with very few elements.
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#61
Woman with white collar
The white collar forms a luminous point in the center of this 1917 canvas kept at the Grenoble museum. It connects the face to the black garment and prevents the figure from dissolving in the background. The short hairstyle and the three-quarter pose give the model a contemporary sobriety. Modigliani organizes the portrait in clear contrasts, without reducing the person to a decorative formula.
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#62
Woman with blue eyes
Blue eyes give their title to this 1918 painting kept at the Museum of Modern Art in Paris. At Modigliani, the eyes are often opaque or asymmetrical; here their color becomes the center of the face. The red bust and dark background make them stand out more. The work shows that his famous treatment of the gaze varies depending on the model and never constitutes automatism.
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#63
Woman with velvet ribbon
The Woman with the Velvet Ribbon, painted in 1915, uses a paper backing and a very direct oil material. The black ribbon surrounds the neck and accentuates its length, while the dark hair frames a light face. This fashion detail becomes a real graphic hinge. Modigliani transforms the accessory into a structure, linking the softness of the portrait to an almost calligraphic construction.
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#64
Bust of a woman
This Bust of a Woman, painted around 1917, shows a figure in black in front of a light gray background. The body almost disappears under the garment, leaving the face and long neck to carry all the presence. The expression remains closed, without story or gesture. Modigliani treats the bust as an autonomous form, heir to the sculpture, but maintains the fragility of the model through the slightly irregular contours.
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#65
Bust of young woman
Painted in 1908 and kept at the LaM in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, this Bust of a Young Woman belongs to the years when Modigliani still hesitates between painted modeling and sculptural simplification. The face is denser, the material more visible and the background less united than in his late works. This tension allows us to follow the progressive birth of his style, rather than assuming the formula immediately found.
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#66
The big red bust
The Great Red Bust, dated 1913, belongs to the period when Modigliani devoted much of his energy to sculpture. The head and torso are reduced to simple volumes, dominated by an earthy red. The frontal face evokes the masks and ancient arts that he then studied. The painting functions like a colorful sculpture, monumental despite its format.
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#67
Red head
Painted on cardboard around 1915, Red Head is constructed with blue-green and rust tones which give the face an unusual intensity. The light support favors direct, almost experimental execution. The lines remain legible, but the color goes beyond the description. Modigliani makes the head an autonomous pictorial field, where the memory of the sculpture meets a very free surface.
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#68
Woman's head. Kiki?
Traditional identification with Kiki remains uncertain, as the title's question mark indicates. The head, painted around 1911 -1912, is reduced to a few dark lines on a worked light background. Rather than transforming a hypothesis into certainty, we must look at the work as a study of the face: arched eyebrows, stretched nose and lateral gaze are enough to produce an acute presence.
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#69
Head of a Woman (Anna Zborowska)
This woman's head is traditionally close to Anna Zborowska, a model that Modigliani painted several times. The inclined face, black hair and dark clothing compose a much tighter image than the large portrait of 1917. The absence of hands or decoration concentrates the comparison on the features. The canvas also reminds us that model identifications can evolve with research.
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#70
Cariatide
Cariatide transposes into painting an architectural figure intended, in Antiquity, to support an entablature. Around 1913, Modigliani explored this motif parallel to his sculpted heads. The frontal torso, raised arms and red-brown color give the body a column function. The work does not tell a specific myth: it imagines human architecture, condensed in rhythm and force.
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#71
Madame Amédée (Woman with a cigarette)
Madame Amédée, or Woman with a Cigarette, was painted in 1918. At the National Gallery of Art, the model turns her bust slightly and places a hand near her face; the cigarette contributes to its modern attitude without becoming the main subject. The look is not idealized. Modigliani associates the social ease of gesture with a rigorous construction of the neck, the armchair and the back.
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#72
Caryatid rose (Audacity)
Pink Cariatide, known as Audace, was painted in 1914 and kept at the Norton Museum of Art. The squatting body, arms raised, appears to support an invisible charge. The pinks, greens and ochres, however, distance the figure from a stone study. Modigliani, however, transforms the architectural model into a colored organism. Modigliani transforms the architectural model into a colorful organism. The title Audace suits this fusion between archaism, sensuality and modern experimentation.
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#73
Portrait of Dr Paul Alexandre
Doctor Paul Alexandre was Modigliani's first important supporter in Paris, purchasing his works and introducing him to collectors. In this 1909 portrait, the model sits in front of a dark background, with an elegance still close to bourgeois portraiture. The distortion remains measured. The work documents a decisive relationship and shows the painter before the extreme simplification of his mature years.
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Doctors, artists, writers and models of maturity.
#74
Portrait of Oscar Miestchaninoff
Oscar Miestchaninoff, sculptor from present-day Belarus, belongs to the cosmopolitan circle of Montparnasse. Modigliani paints it with a full face, a dark suit and a frontal gaze. The portrait dialogues with the sculpture through the mass of the head and the sharpness of the neck. It establishes less a profession than a workshop presence, solid and concentrated, within an avant-garde made of exiles.
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#75
Portrait of Maude Abrantes
Painted in 1908 and kept at the Hecht Museum, the portrait of Maude Abrantes belongs to the early Parisian years. The model, wearing a dark hat, turns her face slightly and maintains an attentive expression. The thick material and the blue-gray background differ from the late flat areas. Modigliani still seeks the balance between direct observation, memory of Cézanne and personal simplification.
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#76
Portrait of Frank Burty Haviland
Frank Burty Haviland, Franco-American painter and collector, is represented in 1914. In the Peggy Guggenheim collection, her slim body stands out in front of a light wall marked with verticals. The hat and the hand near the face create an attitude of withdrawal. Modigliani uses the decor as a grid and gives his friend a fragile elegance, very far from the official portrait.
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#77
Paul Alexandre in front of a window
Paul Alexandre stands in front of a window in this 1913 portrait kept in Rouen. The window uprights divide the bottom and frame the standing body, while the hand placed on the hip gives the model quiet confidence. Modigliani does not separate the person from the space: the architecture of the glazing extends the costume and transforms the portrait of the patron into a composition of lines.
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#78
Portrait of Celso Lagar
The Spanish painter Celso Lagar was represented in 1915, shortly after his installation in Paris. The narrow face, mustache and dark costume build an immediately recognizable silhouette. Preserved at the Israel Museum, the painting belongs to the gallery of foreign creators gathered in Montparnasse. Modigliani translates less an artistic school than an attentive, almost worried attitude.
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#79
Dr. Louis Devraigne
Doctor Louis Devraigne, sometimes nicknamed "the handsome major", was painted in 1915 in a dark outfit. Its broad face and powerful neck resist systematic elongation. Today in the Bührle collection, the portrait shows Modigliani adjusting its deformation to the actual build of the model. Medical or military authority is not illustrated by insignia, but by frontal stability.
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#80
Portrait of Mateo Ruiz de Alegria
Mateo Ruiz de Alegría, Spanish painter, posed for Modigliani in 1915. The thin face, mustache and oblique gaze emerge from a dark costume treated by large masses. Preserved at the Allen Memorial Art Museum, the work keeps track of the international environment of Paris during the war. Modigliani transforms a now lesser-known colleague into a lasting presence, without depending on his fame.
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#81
Portrait of Pierre Reverdy
Pierre Reverdy, a poet close to Cubism and future founder of the magazine Nord-Sud, was painted in 1915. The face appears almost too large for the bust and the gaze slips away slightly. Modigliani does not seek to illustrate a literary work. It translates the poet's concentration by the density of the head, the closed costume and a brown background which eliminates all distraction.
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#82
Portrait of Gaston Modot in a hat
Gaston Modot, future actor of Buñuel and Renoir, appears here wearing a light hat. Painted in 1918 and kept in Tel Aviv, the portrait contrasts with another more frontal image of the same model. The hat, long neck and tight framing give an almost theatrical look. The comparison reveals how Modigliani varies the presence of a person rather than repeating a guy.
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#83
Portrait of Madame Dorival
Madame Dorival, a theater actress, was painted in 1916 with a high hairstyle and a brightly lit face. At the Kunstmuseum in Basel, the reds of the background and hair respond to the skin tone. The profession is not indicated by any stage costume. Modigliani rather retains an authority of gaze and a mastery of pose, as if theater had passed into attitude.
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#84
Portrait of a Russian woman
The old title identifies this woman as Russian without retaining her name. Painted around 1918, it appears in bust, with a high hairstyle and dark clothing on a red background. This designation recalls the diversity of migrants and exiles from Montparnasse, but should not replace an unknown biography. Modigliani gives the model its uniqueness through inclination, eyes and color.
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#85
Gaston Modot
In this 1918 portrait kept at the National Museum of Modern Art, Gaston Modot appears without a hat, wearing an open white shirt. The long head and narrow neck contrast with the width of the bust. The actor is not represented in character: Modigliani is looking for the man behind the loom. The blue-gray background and frontality give the image an almost photographic simplicity.
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#86
Young woman in a yellow dress (Renée Modot)
Renée Modot, wife of Gaston, was painted in 1918 in a yellow dress punctuated with small blue flowers. The garment illuminates the canvas and distinguishes this portrait from Modigliani's more muted palettes. The seated pose, slightly turned, nevertheless retains great restraint. The color does not transform Renée into a decorative motif: it reveals a calm, attentive and physically anchored presence.
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#87
Renee
This portrait of Renée, painted in 1917, shows a light face surrounded by red hair on a brown background. The small necklace and dark clothing frame the neck without distracting attention. Modigliani tightens the composition at the bust and lets the model stand alone in the eye. The work shows how a first name is sometimes enough for the memory of the catalog, when the painting preserves more than the biography.
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#88
Renée with a light bust
This second Renée, also dated 1917, is distinguished by a light bust, brightly colored eyes and a blue-green background. Preserved in Sao Paulo, it is not a repetition of the previous one: the head tilts differently and the palette modifies the entire relationship with the model. Modigliani uses the portrait series to explore different states, not to reproduce a formula.
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#89
Alice
Alice, painted in 1918 and kept at the Statens Museum for Kunst, sits from the front in a dark dress, hands crossed on her knees. The red backrest and the blue wall organize the depth in flat areas. The inscription of the first name at the top of the canvas reinforces the identity of the model. The work combines almost iconic stillness and personal details, notably the hairstyle and blue eyes.
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#90
Florence
Florence, painted in 1914 and kept at the Ludwig Museum, belongs to the period when Modigliani stabilized his portrait vocabulary. The black dress, light collar and long neck make up a vertical silhouette, while the face remains slightly inclined. The blue-gray background absorbs details. The painting shows the transition between the material of the beginnings and the linear elegance of the war years.
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#91
Lolotte
Lolotte was painted in June 1917, an exceptionally precise date in the catalog. The dark hat, the bouquet or the colorful ornament and the frontal face give the portrait a lively presence. Preserved at the National Museum of Modern Art, the work does not depend on a developed biography. Modigliani inscribes the first name and retains an attitude, making the painting a meeting document as much as a stylized construction.
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#92
Antonia
Antonia, dated 1915, sits in a black dress with a white collar, hands together. The very vertical composition belongs to the Jean Walter collection -Paul Guillaume. The model maintains a reserved expression, without signs of profession or environment. Modigliani constructs his presence through the contrast of the collar, the oval of the face and the calm of the hands, giving weight to an identity that is little documented today.
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#93
Adrienne
Adrienne, painted in 1917 and kept at the National Gallery of Art, wears a dark dress and turns her head slightly. The brown armchair forms an envelope around the bust, while the raised hand introduces a discreet movement. The canvas is painted on linen, the texture of which accompanies the flat areas. Modigliani thus combines economy of means, daily elegance and a feeling of immediate presence.
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#94
White-collar Elvira
Elvire with a white collar, painted in 1918, shows the model sitting from the front, hands crossed, in a purple dress. The small collar illuminates the center of the silhouette and leads towards the face. Modigliani painted Elvira naked and clothed, which allows us to measure the variety of model roles. Here, restraint of pose and sobriety dominate any sensual dimension.
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#95
Lola of Valencia
Lola de Valence, painted in oil on paper in 1915, takes up a name made famous by a Spanish dancer and by Manet. At Modigliani, the figure with a very elongated profile stands out in front of a background where inscriptions and lines remain visible. The title may relate to a nickname or cultural reference. The work combines memory of modern painting and experimentation on a light medium.
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#96
The Married
The Bride and Groom, painted in 1915 and kept at the Museum of Modern Art, brings together two tight figures in a vertical format. Their heads are neither at the same height nor treated with the same color, but dark clothing unites them. Modigliani avoids sentimental outpouring. The couple exists through proximity, the difference in faces and the tension between two individuals held side by side.
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#97
The Beautiful Droguist
La Belle Droguiste, dated 1918, bears a title which combines profession and aesthetic judgment. The model sits in a light dress, hands clasped, in front of a wall treated in large areas. Modigliani represents neither shop nor products. It separates the person from their social function and lets the calm attitude contradict the lightness of the nickname. Dignity comes from pose, not decor.
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#98
The Pretty Housewife
The Jolie Ménagère, painted in 1915 and kept at the Barnes Foundation, sits from the front in a light apron. The hands meet on the knees and the furniture remains basic. The old title combines appearance and domestic role, but the painting goes beyond this category. Modigliani gives the model the entire space of the canvas and an immobility that transforms everyday life into a monumental presence.
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#99
The Yellow Sweater
The Yellow Sweater, painted in 1918 and kept at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, shows a seated figure in a light profile, wearing a red cap. The yellow of the garment and the red of the seat produce an exceptionally light palette. The model, however, remains silent, hands placed on the knees. Modigliani makes color a means of balance and not a simple decorative effect.
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#100
Café-concert singer
Painted in 1917 and kept at the National Gallery of Art, the Café Concert Singer sits in a dark blue dress with her hands crossed. No audience or instrument appears. The craft is contained in the look, hairstyle and confidence of the model. Modigliani chooses rest over performance, revealing the person behind Montparnasse's public role and nightlife.
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Editorial method
One hundred paintings, one hundred verifiable notices
The corpus was reconstructed from the store's active files, then controlled by title, image, technique and institutional source.
Paintings only
Drawings, prints and graphic works were excluded.
Anti-duplicate
Each title, link and image is unique; visual variations were compared.
Specific notices
No standard paragraph: each text explains the subject, context or scope of the work concerned.
Sources
Cross-checked identifications
The metadata was compared with museum catalogs and available documentary notices. The institutional link appears under each painting.
Frequently asked questions
Read Modigliani
Technique, sources, duplicates and presentation.
Does this selection only contain paintings?
Yes. The graphic work identified during the inspection has been removed. The hundred entries selected are oil paintings on canvas, cardboard, panel, paper or linen.
How were duplicates eliminated?
Titles, links, image files and visual similarities were compared. Variants corresponding to the same painting have been discarded.
Where do dates and collections come from?
They were cross-referenced with museum records and reference catalogs, notably those of the National Gallery of Art, MoMA, the Barnes Foundation, the Tate and the Art Institute of Chicago.
Does the article contain a slideshow?
No. The hundred paintings remain visible on a static page for easy reading and control.
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