Modigliani, Tate Modern, November 23 – April 2, 2018
Although Italian artist Amedeo Modigliani’s life came to a tragic end at the young age of 35, his name has been immortalised as one of the most legendary personalities in 20th-century art. Although considered the moderniser of figural painting, he is most famous for his nudes. Modigliani’s first and only solo exhibition in Paris turned into a bona fide scandal, even involving the attention of the police. The fact that the exhibition contained nudes was controversial enough, but one of the museum guards was especially shocked that the paintings also showed female pubic hair. The police are said to have demanded that the paintings be removed, but there is no information about how the scandal eventually ended. Whatever the case, Modigliani gained a reputation for being a stormy playboy. He drew wherever he went, sometimes even pulling out a pencil and paper on street corners, and referred to his obsession as ‘graphic gymnastics’. He suffered from financial difficulties his entire life and could never have dreamed of the amounts for which his art is sold at auction today. The Modiglianiretrospective at Tate Modern is the largest exhibition to date of the artist’s work in the United Kingdom.
Bankside
tate.org.uk