Amedeo Clemente Modigliani (born July 12, 1884 in Livorno, † January 24, 1920 in Paris) was an Italian Jewish draftsman, painter and sculptor. Today's fame is based primarily on his nudes, which were perceived as scandalous in his time. He is known for his portraits and nudes in a modern style characterized by a surreal elongation of faces, necks, and figures that weren't well received in his lifetime but are in great demand today. Modigliani spent his youth in Italy, where he studied ancient and renaissance art until he moved to Paris in 1906. There he met important artists such as Pablo Picasso and Constantin Brâncuși. Until 1912 Modigliani exhibited highly stylized sculptures with Cubists from the d'Or section in the Salon d'Automne. Modigliani had little success during his lifetime, but gained great popularity after his death. His life was marked by a lung disease. In a feverish dream he is said to have recognized his calling to art, at the age of 35 he died of tubercular meningitis. The information about Modigliani's life is based on only a few authenticated documents, so that legends were formed about him, especially after his death.
Modigliani's oeuvre consists mainly of paintings and drawings. From 1909 to 1914, however, he mainly devoted himself to sculpture. The main motif is the human being, both in the pictures and in the sculptures. There are also few pictures with landscape motifs. Modigliani's interior scenes and still lifes are not known. Modigliani often referred to the Renaissance in his works, but also took up other elements such as the African art popular at the time. On the other hand, it cannot be assigned to any of the contemporary styles, such as Cubism or Fauvism. During his life Amedeo Modigliani had little success with his art, it was only after his death that he achieved greater popularity and his works of art fetched high prices.