July 1, 2025

Summer News

Jeanne Hébuterne, 1919. The Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia

Should your summer travel take you to Philadelphia, Auckland, or Paris, there are wonderful exhibitions in each city that feature Modigliani’s artwork, while in London this week, Sotheby’s will be selling several drawings with early and interesting provenances. We also wanted to bring to your attention the fact that the historic Académie de la Grande Chaumière in Paris faces eviction from the building where it has been located since the start of the twentieth-century. If you are planning to be in Paris this month, go and visit this landmark site while you still have the chance. We wish you a rejuvenating and artful summer! Our newsletter will resume in September.

Exhibition News

From Paris to Provence: French Painting at the Barnes

Portrait of the Red-Headed Woman, 1918. The Barnes Foundation, Philadelphia

In Philadelphia, the Barnes Foundation presents a rare opportunity to view works from its unrivaled collection outside the rooms of the original “residence.” Fifty paintings from the museum’s first floor are installed in the Roberts Gallery, the museum’s temporary exhibition space, allowing viewers to see the artwork in new ways. Titled From Paris to Provence: French Painting at the Barnes, the exhibition explores how various locations in France inspired modern artists, including Modigliani. The show is on view until August 31, 2025. To learn more, click here.

A Century of Modern Art

Paul Guillaume, 1915. Toledo Museum of Art, Ohio

In New Zealand, the Auckland Art Gallery Toi O Tāmaki currently offers A Century of Modern Art, a survey of the visionary painters who transformed modern art. The works are on loan from the Toledo Museum of Art, Ohio, and the collection includes Modigliani’s portrait of Paul Guillaume. Not only is this painting inscribed with the dealer’s name but it is also dated September 1915, providing an important record of their association. Probably painted in Guillaume’s gallery, the background includes telling details, such as what appear to be examples of African sculpture. Guillaume was an early expert in this field, which exerted a fundamental influence on Modigliani’s work. The exhibition is on display until September 28, 2025 and more information can be found here.

Montparnasse et L’École de Paris: Histoires d’Ateliers

The Helene Bailly Gallery in Paris presents Montparnasse et L’École de Paris: Histoires d’Ateliers. Described as a “multi-generational artistic dialogue” in homage to the French capital, the show highlights the legendary Montparnasse art studios, including La Ruche, Cité des Artistes, Villa Vassilieff, and Cité Falguière, and an array of work by the “School of Paris” artists who lived and worked there. Additional information about the exhibition, which remains on view until September 6, 2025, can be found here, while a link to the informative digital catalogue can be accessed here.

Auction News

On July 3, Sotheby’s, London, will sell two Modigliani drawings (above) that share an interesting provenance. These first belonged to the Russian-born artist Maruschka de Anders Diederich (c. 1890–1953), a friend of Modigliani’s to whom he presented an assortment of drawings. Thirty-five of these were later acquired from her by the prominent Philadelphia psychoanalyst Sydney G. Biddle (1889–1954), whose brother George, a painter, was a close friend of Maruschka and her husband, the sculptor Hunt Diederich. As evidenced by the perforated edges, these and many others in the collection came from sketchbooks. More information on the sale can be found here.

Other News

The Académie de la Grande Chaumière, the celebrated Paris art school that was founded in 1904, is sadly scheduled to be evicted from its original home by the end of the month since the building’s new owner plans to redevelop the site. Not only did Modigliani attend classes at the school but his last studio—8, rue de la Grande-Chaumière—was just a few doors away from the historic Montparnasse landmark. Please find a link to the Artnet.com article here.

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Leslie Koot | Julie Martin | Julia May Boddewyn

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