Jeanne Hebuterne in a Hat 1919

Portraits by the Italian painter and sculptor Amedeo Modigliani (1884-1920) are instantly recognisable. His figures are highly stylised, often incorporating elongated oval faces and lengthened, curved necks. This immediately distinctive style, however, has spawned hundreds of forgeries of Modigliani’s paintings – in fact, experts have claimed that over half of the works once attributed to the artist are in fact imitations. In 2017, twenty fraudulent paintings were seized from a Modigliani exhibition in the Doge’s Palace of Genoa. The exhibition had welcomed over 100,000 visitors, and authorities were informed of the falsified paintings only days before the closure of the show. Why do forgers so often target Modigliani? Not only is his signature style straightforward to replicate, but the artist neglected to keep inventories or sale records during his tumultuous lifetime. Owing to his unconventional and bohemian lifestyle, Modigliani often traded, exchanged, and gifted his works without tracking their provenance. Convincingly and decisively attributed to Modigliani, Jeanne Hébuterne in a Hat (1919) was sold by Christie’s for almost £27 million in 2013. The portrait depicts Modigliani’s partner, muse, and model who was herself an accomplished painter. The pair met in 2017, when Hébuterne was studying in the Academie Colarossi in Paris. Unlike the official French Ecole des Beaux Arts, the progressive art school at the Academie Colarossi admitted women. Hébuterne’s pale face and the pastel shades of the background intensify the sleek black of her elegant clothes and hat. The classic fashion of her simple attire, alongside the undecorated interior of the background, allows for a timelessness and tranquillity. Although striking in its unconventional treatment of facial features, the portrait exudes a sense of grace and quietude. Jeanne Hébuterne in a Hat was completed the year prior to the death of both Modigliani and Hébuterne in 1920. Perhaps the serenity and peace conveyed in the painting speaks to the stability and security of the pair’s relationship, despite their otherwise intense and eventful lives. This portrait makes use of Modigliani’s characteristic elongated facial features and simplified composition. Do you think it would be difficult to replicate a similar style? Editor: Lucy Jude Grantham