Red Hair in Art: Amedeo Modigliani

Amedeo Modigliani (1884 - 1920) was an Italian painter and sculptor who worked mainly in France. He is known for portraits and nudes in a modern style characterized by elongation of faces, necks, and figures that were not received well during his lifetime but later found acceptance. Modigliani spent his youth in Italy, where he studied the art of antiquity and the Renaissance. In 1906 he moved to Paris, where he came into contact with such artists as Pablo Picasso and Constantin Brâncuși. By 1912 Modigliani was exhibiting highly stylized sculptures with Cubists of the Section d'Or group at the Salon d'Automne.

Modigliani's oeuvre includes paintings and drawings. From 1909 to 1914 he devoted himself mainly to sculpture. His main subject was portraits and full figures, both in the images and in the sculptures. Modigliani had little success while alive, but after his death achieved great popularity. He died of tubercular meningitis, at the age of 35, in Paris.

As you can see below, he really loved redheads! One of his frequent subjects was his common-law wife Jeanne Hébuterne, who committed suicide after Modigliani's death. I've uploaded only a couple of her portraits.

Woman with Red Hair

La rousse au pendentif

Young Woman of Montmartre

Annie Bjarne

Maternité

Portrait of Lunia Czechowska

Portrait of a Young Woman

Portrait of Jeanne Hébuterne

Red-Haired Girl in Evening Dress

Girl with a Polka-Dot Blouse

Jeanne Hébuterne

Young Woman in a Shirt

Seated Nude

Standing Nude

Jeune homme à la casquette

L'étudiant

Boy in Short Pants

Boy with Striped Shirt

Boy in Sailor Suit

Petit garçon roux

Portrait of a Young Man

Léon Bakst