Don’t miss our short research stories published on our social media sites. The latest one focuses on a Modigliani portrait of the actor Gaston Modot. Our research revealed that when the painting was exhibited in 1931—on loan from Modot himself—it was titled Le joueur de pelote basque. Not only was Modot a star of the silver screen, but he was also an avid pelote player! Watch our short reel on LinkedIn and Facebook to learn more.

Gaston Modot, 1918. Centre Pompidou, Paris

We recently concluded a productive research trip to the Archives of American Art in Washington, D.C., where our focus was on the extensive records of the Perls Galleries. One of the research treasures we found: a handwritten letter by the early Modigliani collector Roger Dutilleul to Klaus Perls, providing invaluable provenance information.

Roger Dutilleul, 1919. Private Collection

A trip to Washington, D.C. is not complete without a visit to the stunning Chester Dale Collection of Modigliani works at the National Gallery of Art. Some of the models in the paintings are known, while others remain unidentified. The Modigliani Initiative is on their trail…

For more on the spectacular Modiglianis in the collection, click here.

Nude on a Divan (detail), 1918. Chester Dale Collection, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.