Modi Records
A Compilation of Information on the Paintings by Amedeo Modigliani.
Tap the photo above to see most of the books available for research.
Amedeo Modigliani
July 12, 1884 – January 20, 1920
There are more forgeries of Amedeo Modigliani than authentic works; one of the highest ratios of any artist. Neither Modigliani, his family or dealers kept adequate records. Nearly 100 years after his passing there is still no accepted catalogue raisonné. Five authors have published catalogs, two have given up, and two more have announced their intentions.1
The discrepancy among the catalogs is incredible: their cumulative total of paintings is 537, not including 58 watercolors and gouaches. Ironically Ceroni’s Catalog (the most widely accepted) lacked exhibition history, whereas Pfannstiel’s Catalog provided history, but lacked images.
There were several important early exhibitions prior to 1945 with catalogs that featured only descriptions, not images. In later decades, as the value for Ceroni listed paintings exploded, the auction and exhibition catalogs typically provided extensive exhibition histories. Those cited appearances should naturally match up and fill the positions described in the earlier exhibitions. However, not nearly enough do. That anomaly indicates Ceroni apparently missed many paintings that were selected by curators and can’t all be forgeries. The explanation is likely because Ceroni only included paintings he saw firsthand, yet never visited the Americas.
Recently a consortium of museum laboratories began studying the attributes of their authentic paintings.2 Their findings will verify selections by connoisseurs and experts… for individual paintings. But what of the hundreds of other paintings in the field, many of which are also surely authentic? For those, binoculars might be better suited than microscopes.
What Modi Records has created is an all-encompassing database of Modigliani paintings. From this global view, discoveries and conclusions can be made that are impossible on a painting-by-painting basis. By harvesting and organizing the details of known authentic works as well as the uncertain ones, a clearer picture comes into focus and any gaps are easier to spot and fill. This information and corresponding digital images has been compiled into spreadsheets that can be searched in seconds for clues. The accuracy and breadth of our findings continues to increase.
So whether you are an owner of an obscure painting seeking provenance, an auctioneer compiling history for a catalog, or possibly even an expert working on Modigliani’s œuvre, Modi Records may prove indispensible.
Contact us at info@modi-records.com for more information.
Modi Records welcomes the challenge to demonstrate its potential. Images of paintings submitted will receive a summary report.
Statistics
968
1,140
691
464
370
503
121
362
Total3 images of paintings4 found
Those in which paintings were identified from descriptions
Books in the Modi Records collection
Number of art libraries visited in USA, France and UK to build collection
1 Arthur Pfannstiel, Joseph Lanthemann, Ambrogio Ceroni, Oswaldo Patani and Christian Parisot published.
Alberto D’Atri and J.A. Cartier abandoned. Marc Restellini and Kenneth Wayne announced intentions.
2 See Burlington Magazine, March 2018.
3 Includes hundreds of forgeries which turn up frequently in important exhibitions, auctions and collections. Details of forgeries are crucial for spotting where their descriptions cloud the history of authentic works. Reaching a true total of authentic works can only be achieved by further scrutiny of presumed forgeries.
4 Includes watercolors and gouaches occasionally regarded as drawings. A precedent for their inclusion was set by Ceroni catalog #s 34, 41, 84 & 85 and Patani #s 87, 88, 105 & 169, some being monochrome outlines akin to drawings. Conversely, most watercolors and gouaches were colorful. Excluding them merely for not being oils poses classification confusion. Monochrome brushed works in ink or sepia form a clearer distinction as drawings and were excluded.
Sample Images
A snapshot of one of our extensive research spreadsheets.
The 338 Modigliani paintings in Ceroni 1970 catalogue raisonné.
Modigliani paintings in other catalogue raisonnés and listed by other experts.
Some of the Modigliani forgers.
Background
In 2012 a signed Modigliani oil surfaced from an estate where it had languished for 42 years. Laboratory examination results were positive but no further provenance was known. To solve such a mystery, the only choice was to keep searching libraries until some record turned up. One catalogue raisonné description matched but had no image. Discrepancies over the artist’s œuvre were obvious.
The immense investment in research bore a risk of being futile. Thus, records of other Modiglianis found along the way were organized for potential future value. The all-encompassing search grew exponentially and resulted in many unanticipated important discoveries.
Six years later, the remaining places to check are few and less significant. The time has finally arrived to shift attention to ways this extensive accumulation of spreadsheet data can be utilized.
Members of: IFAR, CRSA & CAA.