Reconsidering the Portrait of a Mysterious Redhead
(Fig. 1) Portrait of a Woman, c. 1917–18.
The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of the Hanna Fund (1951.358)
September 23, 2025
What’s in a Name?
Finding lifetime references to Modigliani’s paintings is critical to establishing a body of work that is unquestionably authentic. This is especially significant for paintings not included in Ambrogio Ceroni’s Modigliani catalogue (1970), considered by the art market to be the most authoritative record of the artist’s oeuvre to date.[1]
Efforts to place a work in Modigliani’s few lifetime exhibitions are hampered because extant catalogues routinely lack illustrations or even dimensions. The titles in the checklists are often the only clue, although these tended to be fluid over the years. The Modigliani Initiative tracks the title variations in our database, allowing us to link works to specific exhibitions or publications and make connections that had previously not been considered.
Before acquiring its current title, Portrait of a Woman (fig. 1), which is not included in Ceroni’s catalogue, was known by a variety of names. Because the model has not been identified, exhibition curators and auction house experts relied on descriptives, drawing attention to her red hair and black dress: Buste de femme rousse au corsage noir (in 1933–34); or her vivid green eyes: La femme aux yeux verts (in 1933).[2]
The earliest recorded title of the painting, however, refers to the model’s gold brooch or locket: La femme au médaillon. Portrait of a Woman was shown with this title in an exhibition in 1928, while on loan from the collection of Georges Bénard (1881–1934).[3] Bénard, who was a successful banker and an avid collector of modern art, had an early interest in Modigliani’s work and acquired three portraits from Galerie Bernheim-Jeune in February 1921.[4] Prior to 1933, when he was forced to sell his art collection as a result of his firm’s bankruptcy, Bénard did not lend his Modiglianis. The sole exception was his loan of Portrait of a Woman to the 1928 show, a prestigious event organized for the benefit of the Musée du Luxembourg.[5]
Intriguingly, La Dame au médaillon is a title that appears on the published checklist of Exposition de Peinture Moderne, a group show organized by Paul Guillaume and held at Galerie Devambez in Paris (fig. 2). The opening took place on January 27, 1920, three days after Modigliani’s death, which was, in an uncanny twist of fate, the day of the artist’s funeral. Paintings included in the exhibition, therefore, can arguably be considered as lifetime works. While the inclusion of Portrait of a Woman in the Devambez show cannot be verified solely by a matching title, further clues support the probability of this assumption.[6]
(Fig. 2) Checklist for Exposition de Peinture Moderne, organized by Paul Guillaume for Galerie Devambez (January 27–February 12, 1920)
Affixed to its wooden strainer, Portrait of a Woman has a Galerie Paul Guillaume label that bears the address: 108 Faubourg St- Honoré.[6] This information is significant since the gallery was only briefly at this location – between October 1917 and January 1921. Galerie Paul Guillaume then moved to 59 rue la Boétie, a distinguished location where it remained until the dealer’s untimely death in the fall of 1934. The work is also recorded in Guillaume’s photograph albums, which record his inventory from the 1920s.[7] In addition, new archival research lends documentary support to connect the title to the dealer: a photograph of the portrait in MoMA’s Archives is annotated on the back, identifying the work as “Femme au médaillon, 1917,” with the credit line: “Photo Paul Guillaume” (fig. 3).
(Fig. 3) Inscription on the back of a photograph of Portrait of a Woman.
William S. Lieberman Papers, V.16.c.v. The Museum of Modern Art Archives, New York
Portrait of a Woman furthermore shares stylistic attributes with a number of paintings that are dated between 1916 and 1917 and are published in Ceroni’s catalogue. Modigliani’s mysterious redhead is portrayed before a painted, olive-green wall with rich mahogany paneling, a distinctive background that appears in several other paintings, including two portraits of the Spanish painter Manuel Humbert (1890–1975; figs. 4 and 5).
Left:
(Fig. 4) Manuel Humbert, 1916. National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne, Felton Bequest, 1948 (1854-4)
Right:
(Fig. 5) MANUELLO, 1916. Private collection
Comparing Portrait of a Woman to Renée, who is presented before a wood-paneled background, reveals interesting similarities (figs. 6 and 7). The central feature in both are the models’ striking eyes, which are framed by shapely dark brows and accentuated by black liner and eyelashes. The vibrant color of each extends beyond the pupils, which are emphasized with bright white highlights (also present in MANUELLO, see fig. 5). The bridges of both models’ delicate noses are similarly described and appear disconnected, a stylistic device that effectively draws further attention to the eyes. Along with her name, Renée is inscribed on the back with the date: September 1917, which suggests similar dating for Portrait of a Woman.
Left:
(Fig. 6) Detail of Portrait of a Woman
Right:
(Fig. 7) Detail of Renée, September 1917. Museu de Arte de São Paulo Assis Chateaubriand, São Paulo (MASP.00149)
Though our research into Portrait of a Woman is ongoing, there are compelling clues and factual details that place it close to the artist’s lifetime and link it stylistically to paintings that are accepted as part of the artist’s oeuvre. Future technical analysis may shed additional light on the work and assist scholars in the reconsideration of the exclusion of Portrait of a Woman’s from Ceroni’s catalogue.
Endnotes
[1] Ambrogio Ceroni, I dipinti di Modigliani (Milan: Rizzoli Editore, 1970).
[2] Palais des Beaux-Arts, Brussels, Modigliani, November 4–26, 1933; Kunsthalle Basel, Modigliani, January 7–February 4, 1934; Hôtel Drouot, Paris, Tableaux modernes, aquarelles, gouaches, pastels [Collection Georges Bénard], June 9, 1933, lot 67; illus. in b/w, respectively.
[3] Galerie de la Renaissance, Paris, Portraits et figures de femmes: Ingres à Picasso, June 1–30, 1928, no. 131.
[4] Guy-Patrice and Floriane Dauberville, Amedeo Modigliani Chez Bernheim-Jeune (Paris: Éditions Bernheim-Jeune, 2015), nos. 1, 3, and 10.
[5] It is important to note that a similarly titled painting, Le Médaillon, was published in L’Amour de l’Art in January 1922 to accompany an article by André Salmon and is credited to the collection of Paul Guillaume.
[6] Galerie de la Renaissance, Paris, Portraits et figures de femmes: Ingres à Picasso, June 1–30, 1928. The nearly 200 works in the show came from a long list of esteemed lenders, including Jacques Doucet, Félix Fénéon, Pablo Picasso, Paul Rosenberg and Paul Guillaume.
[7] Paul Guillaume Photo Album, no. A31. Les archives de la collection Walter-Guillaume, Musée de l’Orangerie, Paris.
[8] The Modigliani Initiative wishes to thank the Cleveland Museum of Art for sharing an image of the back of the painting. Though we have not yet confirmed the source and date of Bénard’s purchase, this early Galerie Paul Guillaume label, combined with Bénard’s documented purchases from Galerie Bernheim-Jeune in February 1921, suggest that he may have acquired the portrait from Guillaume by the end of 1920.