28th January

Amadeo Modigliani and Bohemian Paris 1906-1920

by Julian Halsby

Although he died in total poverty, Modigliani remains one of the most popular artists of the 20th century. As a young man in Italy he was fascinated by Renaissance art in particular the elegance of artists such as Botticelli, Fra Angelico and Giovanni Bellini all of whom were to influence his later work. 

His short life will be discussed in detail, looking at his early development and his arrival and life in Paris from 1906 to his early death in 1920.  Modigliani was at the centre of Bohemian Paris until 1910 in Montmartre and later in Montparnasse where he was a close friend of Maurice Utrillo, Picasso, Max Jacob, Moise Kisling, Chaïm Soutine and many other painters and writers who made up Bohemian Paris.  Julian Halsby will discuss the influences on his painting and sculpture including Cézanne, African art and Cubism and show how he developed a highly individual style of his own.  He will look at Modigliani's haunting portraits and sensual nudes while exploring the very French concept of a Bohemian lifestyle.  

Modigiani's life ended tragically when he died of tubercular meningitis at the age of just 35.  The tragedy was compounded when his lover and mother of his infant daughter jumped to her death the day after Modigliani died. It is ironic and sad that Modigliani's paintings are now amongst the most expensive at auction, rivalling Picasso and Matisse, but that during his lifetime he was never fully appreciated.