Curators at Israeli’s University of Haifa’s Hecht Museum discovered three previously unknown sketches by celebrated 20th-century artist Amedeo Modigliani hiding beneath the surface of one of his paintings. In 2010, the museum’s curator noticed the eyes of a third figure peeking from beneath Abrantes’ collar. But only this year was the hidden image brought into focus. Modigliani died penniless at age 35.

The unfinished works by Modigliani, an Italian-born artist who worked in Paris before his death in 1920, came to light after the canvas of “Nude with a Hat” at the University of Haifa’s Hecht Museum was X-rayed as part of a sweeping forensic study of his work for an upcoming exhibit in Philadelphia. The X-ray photography was conducted ahead of a sweeping exhibition of Modigliani’s works at the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia.

Modigliani is considered one of the 20th century’s great Modernist artists. His lived a short, turbulent, Bohemian life in France, where his nude paintings were controversial.

The canvas is now known to contain five of his paintings, likely painted one atop the other out of necessity to save money on new canvases. X-ray photography and other noninvasive technologies have found hidden works by other artists such as Degas and Rembrandt.

To read more see: https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-travel-france-israel-d5fc16c86e8ae3c20f0045feae492012

Jan Meisels Allen

Chairperson, IAJGS Public Records Access Monitoring Committee