Rossella BLUE: 'Me and Modigliani'

Me and Modigliani at The Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice. The Woman in a Sailor Shirt by Amedeo Modigliani. Photo by Sherry Fyman

There are many memories from my childhood that I have forgotten, but for some strange reason, I remember exactly when I became aware of art. Back in the days when TV sets were still a novelty, my parents and I would go to a bar near the train station in our town, Viareggio. It was while watching one of those programs that I saw a painting by Modigliani. I don’t remember exactly which painting I saw, but I do know the impact it made on that little girl.

So, I went on with the business of growing up and settling into a new country. I was twelve, and all my time was taken up by adjusting to my new environment: New York. A few years later, I went back to visit Italy. I was sitting on a train, looking out at the moving landscape, when I said to myself, "I want to be an artist." And sure enough, I became one. Through all of this, Modigliani remained tucked away in my heart.

Modigliani Plaque in Venice

Anybody who knows anything about me is aware that Venice will, sooner or later, pop up—and sure enough, it does in this story, too. On my most recent visit to Venice, I went to see the exhibition of sculptor Marino Marini at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection. I enjoyed his work very much and had no intention of seeing the rest of the collection.

However, a guard came over to me and said, "You should go see the rest of the collection. They have recently acquired a new Modigliani." Sherry was there with me, and she can tell you how strange that moment was. The guard wasn't saying this to anyone else, even though there were plenty of other visitors around. She didn’t tell us to go see the collection or their new acquisitions in general—she specifically said to go see the Modigliani. We found it, and it became my favorite Modigliani overnight.

  When I posted the image of me standing by this Modigliani on Instagram, someone commented that both the figure in the painting and I have the same sadness in our eyes. And there is some truth to that. I had never felt so close to Modigliani as in that moment. I felt as if I could see the artist himself and, through those soulful eyes, he was reaching out to me.