Charcoal on paper, framed sketch. Signed modigliani on the upper left corner. Attributed to Amedeo Modigliani (1884-1920, Italian). 28 x 18 cm (11.0 x 7.1 inches). Frame size: 43 x 33 cm (16.9 x 13.0 inches). PROVENANCE: Southern Ontario estate

Amedeo Modigliani (1884-1920) was an Italian artist known for his unique elongated style of portraiture. Characterized by lengthened limbs, almond eyes, and swooping noses, the lasting influence of sculpture - particularly African masks - was prominent in the renderings of his subjects, including his wife the painter Jeanne Hebuterne. “What I am searching for is neither the real nor the unreal, but the subconscious, the mystery of what is instinctive in the human race,” he once said. Born on July 12, 1884 in Livorno, Italy, Modigliani began to paint as a teenager and enrolled in the Reale Istituto di Belle Arti in Venice in 1903. Upon his move to Paris in 1906,he studied at the Academie Colarossi, finding inspiration in the works of Paul Gauguin, Paul Cezanne, and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. The young artist’s friendship with Constantin Brancusi sparked his interest in sculpture, informing his artistic tendencies toward curvilinear rhythms and protracted vertical forms. After 1915, Modigliani devoted himself exclusively to painting, emerging as one of the School of Paris’s les maudits - the cursed - along with Chaïm Soutine, Suzanne Valadon, and her son Maurice Utrillo - so named because of their impoverished, bohemian lifestyle. Modigliani’s prodigious talent was cut short when he died at the age of 35 on January 24, 1920 in Paris, France due to complications from tubercular meningitis aggravated by alcoholism. Today, the artist’s works are held in the collections of The Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Tate Gallery in London, the Musee de l’Orangerie in Paris, and the Kunstmuseum Basel, among others.

All lots that do not carry established documented provenance nor any past record of auction history record are described in the catalog as attributed .

All authorship of items in this catalog are described according to the following terms:

Signed [Artist Name] : In cases in which the signature is legible in the lot, this work is described as-is with no attributions given.

By [Artist Name] : The work is by the artist.

Attributed to [Artist Name] : The work may be ascribed to the artist on the basis of style, but there may be some question as to actual authorship.

In the manner of [Artist Name] : The work was executed by an unknown hand, but was designed deliberately to emulate the style of the artist.

After [Artist Name] : The work was executed by an unknown hand, but is a deliberate copy of a known work by the artist.

Circle of [Artist Name] : A work of the period of the artist showing his influence, closely associated with the artist but not necessarily his pupil.

Follower of [Artist Name]: A work by a pupil or a follower of the artist (not necessarily a pupil).

American, 19th century : This work was executed by an unknown hand, and can only be identified by origin (i.e., region, period).