Bidspirit auction | MODIGLIANI AMEDEO: (1884-1920) ´ You're

MODIGLIANI AMEDEO: (1884-1920) ´ You're a daft one who doesn't get the joke. I haven't sold a thing´ - MODIGLIANI AMEDEO: (1884-1920) Italian painter and sculptor. An extremely rare A.L.S., Modigliani , two pages, 4to, n.p. (Nice, Alpes-Maritimes), n.d. (January 1919), to [Léopold Zborowski] (´ Mon cher ami ´), in French. Modigliani commences his letter by declaring ´ Vous êtes un ballot qui ne comprend pas la blague. Je n'ai rien vendu du tout ´ (Translation: ´ You’re a daft one who doesn’t get the joke. I haven’t sold a thing ´) and continues to inform Zborowski ´M aintenant, une chose réelle et très grave vient de m’arriver. On m'a volé mon portefeuille avec 600 fr. qu'il contenait. Il parait que c'est une spécialité niçoise. Vous parlez si je suis embêté ´ (Translation: ´ Now, something real and very serious has just happened to me. My wallet was stolen, along with the 600 francs it contained. Apparently, that’s a Nice speciality. You can imagine how annoyed I am ´) before offering a proposal to relieve his financial straits ´ Naturellement je suis à sec ou presque. C’est idiot c’est entendu Seulement comme ce n'est ni votre intérêt ni le mien que je reste en panne voilà ce que vous propose : Envoyez à l'adresse de Sturzvage 500 fr. télégraphiquement si vous pouvez et je vous rembourserai 100 fr. par mois. C’est-à-dire que pendant 5 mois vous pourrez prélever 100 par mois sur ma mensualité. De n’importe quelle façon en somme je vous tiendrai compte de la dette. Argent à part la question des papiers m’embête énormément ´ (Translation: ´ Naturally, I’m broke – or nearly so. It’s silly, I know. But as it’s in neither your interest nor mine for me to remain in the lurch, here’s what I propose: send 500 francs to Sturzvage’s address by telegraph if you can, and I’ll repay you 100 francs a month. In other words, for five months you’ll be able to deduct 100 a month from my monthly payment. In any case, I’ll keep track of the debt for you. Money, apart from the paperwork, is a huge bother to me ´). In concluding Modigliani reflects ´I l ne manquerait plus que ça au moment d’être un peu tranquille… enfin. Malgré tout ça ne peut casser rien d’essentiel j’espère ´ (Translation: ´ That’s all I need just when I’m finally getting a bit of peace… well, anyway. Despite all this, I hope it won’t disrupt anything essential ´). A letter of good association, and amongst the rarest of all 20th century artists owing to Modigliani´s untimely death at the age of 35 from tubercular meningitis. Some light creasing and minor age wear, about VG Léopold Zborowski (1889-1932) Polish-born art dealer and patron of the École de Paris, who became Modigliani's principal dealer and closest supporter from 1916, providing him with a regular stipend, materials and even the use of his own apartment as a studio. He organised Modigliani's only lifetime one-man exhibition at the Galerie Berthe Weill in December 1917, and, acting both as dealer and patron, financed the artist's move to Nice in March 1918 in the hope that the milder climate would improve his deteriorating health and that the Côte d'Azur might offer a more receptive clientele. The present letter can be dated with some confidence to January 1919. On 31st December 1918, Modigliani and his fellow painter Léopold Survage, who had joined him in Nice, wrote jointly to Zborowski wishing him a Happy New Year, with Modigliani joking, ´Survage and I are causing quite a stir. I've sold all the paintings.´ Zborowski obviously took the remark at face value, prompting Modigliani's amused opening rebuke in the present letter: ´You're a daft one who doesn't get the joke. I haven't sold a thing.´ The present letter encapsulates the precarious reality of Modigliani's final years. Despite the posthumous mythology surrounding his career, he remained chronically short of money throughout his life, relying heavily on advances from Zborowski for his day-to-day survival. His request for an emergency loan following the theft of his wallet demonstrates both the intimacy of their relationship and the financial insecurity that continued to overshadow the artist, even during the comparatively productive months he spent in Nice. It is also worth noting that by the time this letter was written, Jeanne Hébuterne, Modigliani´s companion and favourite model, had recently given birth to the couple's daughter in Nice (29th November 1918), lending added poignancy to Modigliani's continuing financial anxieties at what should have been one of the happiest moments of his life.