Nu couché (also known in English as Red Nude[1] or Reclining Nude[2]) is a 1917 oil on canvas painting by the Italian artist Amedeo Modigliani. It is one of his most widely reproduced and exhibited paintings.[citation needed]
| Nu couché | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Artist | Amedeo Modigliani |
| Year | 1917 |
| Medium | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 60 cm × 92 cm (24 in × 36 in) |
| Location | Private collection of Liu Yiqian |
Painting
editThe painting is one of a famous series of nudes that Modigliani painted in 1917 under the patronage of his Polish dealer Léopold Zborowski. It is believed to have been included in Modigliani's first and only art show in 1917, at the Galerie Berthe Weill, which was shut down by the police.[3] Christie's lot notes for their November 2015 sale of the painting observed that this group of nudes by Modigliani served to reaffirm and reinvigorate the nude as a subject of modernist art.[4][5][6]
Commentary
editThe Guardian art critic Jonathan Jones claims that Modigliani continues the tradition of Titian's Venus of Urbino "glorifying the human body infuses the sexuality of Modigliani's nude", reinvented a decade before by the paintings of Pablo Picasso and Henri Matisse. Jones states that "Modigliani is a religious artist and his religion is desire."[7]
Provenance
edit- Léopold Zborowski, Paris.
- Jonas Netter, Paris.
- Riccardo and Cesarina Gualino, Turin (acquired in Paris, 2 October 1928).
- Società Anonima Finanziaria, Zaccaria Pisa, Milan; collection sale, Galleria Pesaro, Milan, 5–8 February 1934, lot 185.
- Pietro Feroldi, Brescia (by 1935).
- Gianni Mattioli, Milan (acquired from the above, 1949)
- by descent to Laura Mattioli Rossi (1977)[3]
- Liu Yiqian, Shanghai, 2015 (sold at Christie's, New York, 9 November 2015 for $170,405,000).[4][2]
2015 sale
editThe painting realized $170,405,000 at a Christie's New York sale on 9 November 2015, a record for a Modigliani painting and placing it high among the most expensive paintings ever sold.[4][8] The purchaser was the Chinese businessman Liu Yiqian.[9] Liu is believed to have paid for the painting using his American Express card.[10]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Sleeping Nude With Arms Open Red Nude". Modigliani Foundation. Archived from the original on 17 November 2015. Retrieved 15 November 2015.
- ^ a b Connor, Neil (November 10, 2015). "Meet the Chinese billionaire behind the record Amedeo Modigliani purchase". Telegraph. Retrieved November 10, 2015.
- ^ a b Kinsella, Eileen (November 9, 2015). "5 Fascinating Facts About the $170 Million Modigliani Nude at Christie's". Artnet. Retrieved November 10, 2015.
- ^ a b c "Nu couché". Christie's.
- ^ "Modigliani masterpiece to lead November sales week in New York". Christie's.
- ^ Zampetti, Chiara (3 November 2015). "What Makes Modigliani's Nu Couché Worth $100 Million?". Artsy.
- ^ Jones, Jonathan (10 November 2015). "Sex Sells: Why Modigliani's 98-Year-Old Hymn to Lust Is Worth $170M". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
- ^ Robin Pogrebin and Scott Reyburn (10 November 2015). "With $170.4 Million Sale at Auction, Modigliani Work Joins Rarefied Nine-Figure Club". New York Times.
- ^ Qin, Amy (10 November 2015). "Chinese Taxi Driver Turned Billionaire Bought Modigliani Painting". New York Times.
- ^ "Billionaire buys $170M painting with credit card | The Star". thestar.com. 23 November 2015. Retrieved 2019-01-26.
External links
edit- Christie's video
- Nu Couché by Modigliani | Check123- Video Encyclopedia
- The creation of the modern Olympia — from Courbet to Freud Christie's article on the three nudes, by Courbet, Modigliani and Freud respectively, offered at its November 2015 sale.
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