Ritratto di jean cocteau modigliani biography

Modigliani’s portrait of Jean Cocteau seems to have been painted as part of a friendly competition between Modigliani and the Polish-born painter Moïse Kisling. Picasso had taken his friend Cocteau to Kisling’s studio to introduce him to the group of artists and poets who gathered there.

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While the details are not clear, in the end both Modigliani and Kisling painted a portrait of the young poet. Various friends were in attendance as the artists set to work. It would appear that the perpetually hard-up Modigliani needed assistance in getting started.

He must have taken a canvas from Kisling, as an x-radiograph reveals that underneath Modigliani’s portrait is a self-portrait of Kisling with his wife Renée and their dog.

Curator Betsy Rosasco:

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