Amedeo Modigliani
Portrait d' Elena: Hélène Povolozky
1917
Chalk and graphite pen on brownish paper, mounted to card (20.7 x 13.8 cm). 17,7 x 11 cm. Framed under glass. Signed 'modigliani' in pencil lower right, dated and titled 'Le [sic] ELENA 4 Janvier. 1917.' left. - The paper with narrow light-stain.
Modigliani’s drawing combines “in nuce” the individual likeness of the sitter with his own characteristic stylistic vocabulary to create this formally extremely balanced composition.
Hélène Povolozky, who is depicted here, had moved from Reims to Paris, where, as an artist, she immediately became friends with the protagonists of the avant-garde of painters and writers. In 1911 she married Jacques Povolozky, who was born in Kyiv and who founded a publishing house, a journal and the gallery “La Cible” during this year. The artists represented by the Povolozkys included the painters Picabia, Lhote and Gleize. Modigliani painted Hélène, also known as Elena, multiple times – one likeness is now in the Phillips Collection in Washington DC (inv. no. 1369).
Catalogue Raisonné
Parisot III, 136/17
Certificate
With an expert report by Marc Restellini, Institut Restellini, Paris, dated 30 September 2015 (Rapport No. 2015/DE/s52028). The drawing will be included in the forthcoming catalogue raisonné.
Provenance
Carolyn Lloyd, Los Angeles; A. Estelle Lloyd, Los Angeles; Christie's New York, Auction 5143, 20 May 1982, lot 121; Ahlers Collection, Herford; Private collection, North Germany; Karl und Faber, Auktion Moderne Kunst 10 June 2016; Private collection, South Germany