On the Footsteps of Amedeo Modigliani in Paris: Montmartre & Montparnasse
Updated: Aug 1
In a previous blog article, I followed the footsteps of a young Modigliani in Venice. Not much of his work survives from that period. Leaving Italy disillusioned, and with friends speaking of Paris as the avant-garde capital of early 20th-century Western art, he left for France in 1906 hoping that he, too, would find success there. It was not to be his fate; he died destitute at the young age of 35.
On my latest trip to the French capital, I wanted to experience Modigliani’s Paris, which meant exploring first Montmartre and then Montparnasse, where he lived until his death. As luck would have it, the trip coincided with a marvelous exhibition of his work at the Musée de l'Orangerie, entitled Modigliani and His Dealer.
Through the poet Max Jacob, Modigliani met the young art dealer Paul Guillaume. Guillaume helped Modigliani by finding him a studio in Montmartre and introducing him to Parisian artistic and literary circles. He bought, sold, and collected Modigliani’s work, while Modigliani, in turn, saw Guillaume as a visionary leader of the avant-garde. Both were deeply interested in and influenced by African sculpture, which further cemented their artistic and personal bond.
The itinerary starts in Montmartre at Le Bateau-Lavoir, where Picasso had also begun his Parisian journey. The building was nicknamed the "Washing Boat" by Max Jacob because, on stormy nights, the structure gave the distinct impression of a laundry barge swaying on the Seine. Its twenty small, dark, dirty, and unheated rooms—with only a single shared water source—became a legendary meeting ground for the artistic, literary, and theatrical creativity of early 20th-century Paris. Even though a fire later destroyed most of the original complex, you can still see how it earned its unique moniker.
To truly catch a glimpse of Modigliani’s Montmartre, you have to wander its streets. It helps to picture it without the completed Basilique du Sacré-Cœur or today's hordes of tourists. Instead, imagine walking down quaint, winding pathways like Rue Lepic and Rue Cortot with its iconic cobblestones. It must have been incredibly difficult for the tuberculosis-stricken Modigliani to navigate these steep hills.
Along the way, you will pass the famous Moulin Rouge nightclub before stopping at La Maison Rose—a charming, pink-walled restaurant once frequented by the inhabitants of Le Bateau-Lavoir and their circles. Nearby, a plaque on the front of the building that is now the Musée de Montmartre lists its many illustrious historic guests. You might even stumble upon historical markers detailing Van Gogh’s own stay in the neighborhood. Ultimately, the sheer number of legendary artists who lived, worked, and maintained studios in Montmartre at the turn of the 20th century is truly staggering.
Modigliani left Montmartre and its artistic milieu to return to Livorno in 1909. He remained there only briefly before moving back to Paris, searching this time for even cheaper accommodations in Montparnasse. At that time, Montparnasse was an "art colony" in every sense—a place where creativity was fully accepted along with all its quirkiness, and newcomers were welcomed with open arms. The English painter Nina Hamnett writes that one evening at Café La Rotonde, the person sitting at the next table introduced himself simply as, "Modigliani, painter and Jew."
The cafés of Montparnasse, clustered around Place Pablo Picasso (then known as Carrefour Vavin), served as vital meeting grounds for artists. Café La Rotonde allowed down-and-out artists to rent a table for the entire day for a pittance. Waiters were instructed never to wake them if they fell asleep, and if they couldn’t pay their bill, the owner graciously accepted a drawing or painting as payment. Consequently, the walls of La Rotonde were often covered in their works. Even when heated arguments inevitably boiled over into fights, the owners never summoned the police. Today, alas, these historic cafés function more as upscale restaurants than bohemian havens.
During his lifetime, Modigliani had only one solo exhibition, held at the Berthe Weill Gallery in Paris. Tragically, the show was shut down by the police just days after opening, as the public was deeply outraged by his nudes and their explicit depictions. Ironically, two of those very same paintings went on to be sold for record-breaking sums after his death.
Modigliani’s last address in Montparnasse was 8 Rue de la Grande-Chaumière, a building where Gauguin had also previously lived and worked. When a doctor was finally summoned to the apartment, Modigliani was already in the final stages of tubercular meningitis, exacerbated by a grueling lifestyle of drink and drugs. He died on January 24, 1920, at the Hôpital de la Charité. The tragedy deepened the very next day when his grief-stricken, eight-month-pregnant lover, Jeanne Hébuterne, threw herself from a fifth-story window.
There was an enormous funeral for Modigliani, attended by many from the artistic communities of both Montmartre and Montparnasse. Modigliani’s dealer, Paul Guillaume, said the following about the artist's passing:
An ardent poet and a great painter among the Greats.
He passed like a meteor: he was all grace, all anger, all contempt.
His haughty, aristocratic soul will long float among us
in the shimmer of his beautiful multicolor rags.
The epitaph on his simple grave at Père Lachaise Cemetery reads, "Struck down by Death at the Moment of Glory." The Vagabond Prince of Montmartre was no more, but his magnificent art lives on.
All the paintings by Modigliani in this post were featured at the Musée de l’Orangerie in the exhibition Amedeo Modigliani: A Painter and His Dealer.
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