Born on July 12, 1884, in Livorno, Italy, and passing away on January 24, 1920, in Paris, Amedeo Modigliani was a figurative painter and sculptor. From a Tuscan family, his childhood was marked by poverty and illness. He began his studies at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Florence and later in Venice before moving to Paris in 1906 to join the École de Paris, at a time when the French capital was considered the epicenter of avant-garde art.

The young artist was initially influenced by Toulouse-Lautrec and Paul Cézanne and became interested in Picasso’s Blue Period. After meeting Constantin Brancusi in 1909, Modigliani entered a new phase in his career. Though he continued to paint, from that year until 1914, he dedicated himself almost exclusively to sculpture and drawing.

At the beginning of the 20th century, tribal art was gaining popularity among avant-garde artists like Picasso. Modigliani himself was captivated by African masks and dances, reflected in his sculptures, characterized by elongated faces without visible eyes and stretched bodies. However, respiratory issues, worsened by stone carving, forced him to stop sculpting despite his aspirations to be a sculptor. Meeting art dealer Paul Guillaume reinforced this transition, as Guillaume purchased many of Modigliani's paintings and showed significant interest in his painted works. Modigliani is now regarded as a pivotal figure in art history.

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