Back in 2012, it seemed only fitting when a replica of an actual stolen Modigliani portrait played its part in the storyline of the James Bond thriller Skyfall. There aren’t many artists that evoke the kind of excitement associated with action-blockbuster cinema, however, between daredevil thefts and record-breaking sales, the iconic early 20th-century painter has repeatedly been known to set pulses racing.
Over the years, the works of Modigliani have drawn incredible focus, passion, and price tags—not least because many of his creations remain tantalizingly lost or missing. This lingering sense of mystery framed the incredible recent events in Venice, which saw a previously unknown portrait by the artist authenticated after a century in obscurity.
In an extraordinary turn of events, an unnamed collector had purchased the painting in the 1970s for 55,000 Italian lira—which would have been the equivalent of less than 500 US dollars today. Several decades later, expert analysis has revealed that the portrait is not a cheap knock-off but rather a genuine Amedeo Modigliani painting, with the potential for a lofty future price tag.
Two things about the thrilling find, which features Modigliani’s model and lover Jeanne Hébuterne, are immediately striking. The first is its almost identical composition to a Modigliani portrait at the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art. The second is that it has a handwritten note on its reverse, signed with the name Léopold Zborowski—and we will come back to him shortly.
The painting is 27.5 x 19.2 cm and shows Hébuterne seated in a white blouse with her arm resting on the back of her chair. In analysis during the authentication process, art historian Saverio Simi de Burgis shared in his report that the piece appears to be a preparatory study for the larger version held by the Met.
Modigliani was known to make studies in preparation for his final pieces, filling canvases with speed before reusing them for something else. Simi de Burgis suggested that the reason this study survived while others didn’t is that the two similar portraits of Hébuterne were painted in the last months of Modigliani’s life. The Met’s portrait seems less finished than his other works and could still have been a WIP (work in progress, for those not familiar with the lingo) at the time of the artist’s death in 1920.
Known as Modi to his friends, the artist suffered life-long health problems, exacerbated by a chaotic and bohemian absinthe-fuelled lifestyle. Ultimately, he died of tuberculosis at only 35 years old, and Hébuterne, who was also the mother of Modigliani’s daughter, killed herself just two days later.
As tragic as the ending of their love affair may have been, it followed the creation of many of Modigliani’s most prized artworks, several of which fell into the hands of art dealer Léopold Zborowski, whose home was serving as the painter’s studio at the time of his passing.
While Modigliani didn’t achieve fame while he was alive, Zborowski went on to make a lot of money from the artist’s creations. However, the note on the back of this discovered portrait reveals that Zborowski gave it away as a gift in 1920, and from there, the trail disappears.
Thankfully for the painting’s fortunate owner, modern technologies like Raman microscopy and forensic handwriting analysis allowed experts to verify both that the painting is a real Modigliani and that the note on its reverse really was penned by Zborowski. This makes for a thrilling find indeed—and a jaw-dropping story that could easily give any James Bond plot a run for its money.
