THE QUEST TO CATALOGUE Ambrogio Ceroni wrote the first and most reliable catalogue of Modiglianis in 1958 , with the last update in 1970 . But , Ceroni never examined or catalogued any of Modigliani ’ s works that were had been relocated outside of Europe past late 1940 ’ s . Due to the popularity of Modigliani ’ s works in the 1920s , 30s and 40s , many had been sold and had made their way to the United States , Canada and elsewhere . Ceroni recognized this ambiguity in his catalogue and claimed it was not intended to be exhaustive . Paintings unaccounted for in Europe during the period before and after World War II have been catalogued by the Art Loss Register ( ALR ), the world ’ s largest database of stolen art , a project that plays a role in the group effort to track Modiglianis .
In an ironic comment on the paucity of authentication sources , world renowned auction houses Sotheby ’ s and Christie ’ s will not currently list and sell a Modigliani unless it appears in the Ceroni catalogue , due to the unclear pedigree of many of his works ( Cohen , 2014 ).
Kenneth Wayne , one of the world ’ s leading experts on Modigliani , met with Paulette Jourdain in Paris 73 years after she modeled for the Italian artist . Modigliani ’ s subdued 1919 painting , “ Portrait of Paulette Jourdain ,” portrays a modest young woman with clasped hands . This meeting was only part of Wayne ’ s broader quest to build up the provenance of the artist ’ s unacknowledged works and , ironically , solve the mystery that Modigliani himself grappled with during his career : exposing the authenticity under the mask .
NEW CATALOGUES ENTERING THE MARKET In 2013 , Wayne founded The Modigliani Project , a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the authentication of Modiglianis . A secret meeting was held October 2019 in New York , wherein a committee of expert curators and specialists compiled a catalogue raisonné that was published November 18 , 2019 online initially for accessibility . Only six paintings were selected and not one of these paintings are in the famed catalogue raisonne by Ceroni .
The Modigliani Project isn ’ t the first organization with plans to create the new catalogue . “ To say that the catalogue raisonné situation of works by Modigliani is a mess is an understatement ,” observed Wayne ( Esterow , 2017 ). “ There are various catalogues raisonnés , but each has significant problems ,” he adds .
Marc Restillini , one the world ’ s leading experts on Modiglianis , has been promising a new catalogue of authenticated Modiglianis since 2002 . After separating with the Wildenstein Institute in 2015 , Institut Restillini took the
project into their own hands . Restillini plans to publish his catalogue raisonné in 2020 , according to the Institut ( Institut Restellini , 2020 ). Many of the Modiglianis that did not appear in the Ceroni catalogue have since been authenticated at Restellini ’ s laboratory in Paris and certificates of authenticity have been issued . Hopefully this validation effort will stand future scrutiny .
Claims of authenticity have for years proven to be worthless , as have whole exhibitions of the artist ’ s work . In 2018 , Modigliani expert Isabella Quattrocchi determined a third of the works at a Modigliani exhibition in Genoa were fakes . Twenty-one paintings and sketches attributed to Modigliani and his contemporary , Moise Kisling , had been “ crudely forged ,” and the entire exhibition was shuttered . Its curator , Rudy Chiappini , laid the blame on the painting ’ s owners and each piece ’ s associated provenance ( D ’ Emilio , 2018 ). In 2012 famed art expert Christian Gregori Partisot , who had himself issued many certificates of authenticity , was arrested by Italian authorities , charged with selling forged Modiglianis , and later convicted .
In a drive to bring new research methods into the equation , a Paris based research team started imaging previously authenticated Modiglianis and found that the artist commonly sketched the painting on the canvas before painting the final product . Testing for titanium white , a pigment not found until 1924 , can also verify that the painting was not created after the artist ’ s death in 1920 . Securing and imaging every painting currently in collections or museums would prove not only an arduous task , but may not yield the type of results everyone seeks . Not knowing that a Modigliani is a fake means that its value remains intact . With new technologies and groups vying to sweep away the generations of deceit surrounding the artist ’ s work , it ’ s possible that the market is poised to explode .
Modigliani once said , “ What I look for is neither reality nor unreality but the subconscious , the instinctive mystery of the human race .” From his muted portraits to his most sensual nudes , he strived to reimagine human authenticity . In the final analysis , the authenticity of his own work remains the most elusive mystery .
Daniel J . Voelker is an attorney who has practiced business and commercial litigation for over 35 years and is the founder of the boutique Voelker Litigation Group . He has written Black Sox : It Ain ’ t So Kid , It Just Ain ’ t So , about history ’ s apology to “ Shoeless ” Joe Jackson , Charles Comiskey and the Chicago Black Sox ; Will The Real James Bond , Please Stand Up ?, and Christopher Columbus Lawsuits : A Legal Assessment . Dan has been involved recently in the sale and authentication of one of world ’ s most fabulous paintings and draws his knowledge from that experience .
Bibliography Christie ’ s . ( 2015 , November 10 ). Modigliani ’ s Nu couché ( Reclining Nude ) leads a night of records in New York . Retrieved from Christie ’ s : https :// www . christies . com / features / Modigliani-Nu-couche-Reclining-Nude-leads-a-night-of-records-in-New-York-6782-3 . aspx CNBC . ( 2018 , May 15 ). Modigliani painting fetches more than $ 157 million at auction . Retrieved from CNBC : https :// www . cnbc . com / 2018 / 05 / 15 / modigliani-painting-fetches-morethan-157-million-at-auction . html Cohen , P . ( 2014 , February 2 ). A Modigliani ? Who Says So ? Retrieved from The New York Times : https :// www . nytimes . com / 2014 / 02 / 03 / arts / design / a-modigliani-who-says-so . html D ’ Emilio , F . ( 2018 , January 10 ). Italy : Modigliani art exhibit found to be full of fakes . Retrieved from Associated Press : https :// apnews . com / 9b2d5fcf560d4c199b841744b14d12d8 / Italy : -Modigliani-art-exhibit-found-to-be-full-of-fakes Esterow , M . ( 2017 , May 3 ). The Art Market ’ s Modigliani Forgery Epidemic . Vanity Fair . Institut Restellini . ( 2020 , January 1 ). Catalogues Raisonnes . Retrieved from Institut Restellini : http :// www . institut-restellini . com / en / catalogues-raisonnes / Stewart , D . ( 2005 , March ). Modigliani : Misunderstood . Retrieved from Smithsonian Magazine : https :// www . smithsonianmag . com / arts-culture / modigliani-misunderstood-84411676 /
WINTER 2021 | INTERNATIONAL WATCH | 91