“For every job I need a person to look at who is right in front of me” A. Modigliani
The Venice Biennale in 1930 dedicated an exhibition to Modigliani and this work was one of the 39 paintings on display and was chosen precisely in relation to the continuous relationship of fascination that bound the artist to the ancient Masters of his native country.
Amedeo Modigliani – who worked in Paris for most of his career – is today one of the most celebrated artists of the 100th century. His works have sold for over 56.6 million dollars and – last June – Sotheby's sold Jeanne Hébuterne (au foulard) in London, one of the best paintings depicting his faithful muse, for XNUMX million dollars.
Portrait de Baranowski depicts an introspective young man in an extremely elegant composition. The painting effectively summarizes all the elements of Modigliani's portraiture of this period, from the geometries that redraw human forms to the empty almond-shaped eyes, which make the person depicted impenetrable.
The subject of the painting represents a typical character of the bohemian life of Montparnasse: it is Pierre-Edouard Baranowski known as "Barà", the androgynous painter who is a member of the Polish colony in Paris. He is a habitué of Parisian cafés - in particular the Cafè de La Rotonde - where Modì probably met the merchant Leopold Zborowski. The canvas represents the only known painting by Baranowski: the gentle strokes of the painter inspired Modigliani in the creation of one of the most successful poetic and melancholic portraits of him. In 1918 - the year of the portrait - Modì was 34 years old, an age in which his health was already being put to the test by drinking and drugs.
The first owner of the painting was Leopold Zborowski, who became Modigliani's dealer after the end of relations with Paul Guillaume. The painting entered the collection of Sir Robert and Lady Sainsbury - famous English collectors - in 1937 and was sold by the Charitable Trust in support of the Sainsbury Center of Visual Art in Norwich in 1998 for 4.291.500 GBP.
