Modigliani Nude That Scandalised Paris Leads Sotheby’s Lewis Collection Sale

Sotheby’s has today announced further details of its hotly anticipated London sale of works from the collection of British billionaire Joe Lewis, led by a “scandalous” nude by Amedeo Modigliani.

The 1917 painting, titled Nu assis au collier, is returning to the auction block for the first time in more than three decades, and is expected to fetch around £45 million.

Thomas Boyd-Bowman, Sotheby’s head of evening sales, impressionist and modern art, predicted that the Modigliani’s return to the market will prove “sensational”. He said: “Nu assis au collier is a cornerstone within Modigliani’s celebrated series of nudes, distinguished by its restraint and psychological depth and—quite frankly—by its audaciousness. 

“As restrained as she seems on the surface, this ‘modern-day Olympia’ nonetheless had the power to upturn tradition, causing a sensation.”

During the year it was painted, Nu assis au collier appeared in Modigliani’s only solo exhibition at Paris’ Berthe Weill gallery to take place during his brief lifetime. The show was short-lived—it was shut down by police on its opening day to avoid further scandalising Parisian society with its indecency.

Today, however, the artist’s nudes are among his best-known paintings. Two such works, both titled Nu couché and both produced in the same year as Nu assis au collier, sold in 2015 and 2018 for $170.4 million USD (£127.5 million) and $157.2 million USD (£117.6 million) respectively. 

These sales, both made in New York, added Modigliani to a relatively short list of artists who have crossed the $100 million USD (£75 million) threshold at auction. Even fewer have achieved this feat twice.

Nu assis au collier has not been seen in London since 1938 and, when it goes to auction later this month, will become the highest-value work by the artist ever to have been offered there.

Accompanying the Modigliani will be Edgar Degas’ Petite Danseuse de quatorze ans (1922), which comes with an estimate of £18–25 million and was the only sculpture to be exhibited during the artist’s lifetime. Helena Newman, Sotheby’s worldwide chairman of impressionist and modern art, said the pairing of Modigliani and Degas “brings the enormous ambition of The Lewis Collection into sharp focus”.

“A collection shaped by an instinctive recognition of what was most radical at the time, centred around works by artists that disrupted the status quo and altered the trajectory of modern art,” she said.

Seven works by Pablo Picasso will also go under the hammer, led by a 1938 portrait of Dora Maar. The painting, which has not been seen in public for more than 50 years, is estimated to fetch between $12 million–$18 million USD (£9 million–£13 million).

Assembled over decades by Lewis, the owner of Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, and his daughter Vivienne, the collection is estimated to achieve a total of between £150 million–£200 million. Should it clear £101 million, it will become the most valuable single-owner collection ever to be sold in the UK.

“We came across these works, often unexpectedly and at different moments, and in every case we knew there was something about each one that meant it was for us,” said Vivienne Lewis.

“While we have enjoyed and cherished these works, we haven’t always had the pleasure of seeing them together, largely because we’ve had the privilege of sharing them in different contexts—in relevant exhibitions, or to complement museum holdings. So to see them brought together now in one place is, even for us, something of a revelation, shining a light on the themes and storylines that have shaped our choices as collectors.”

The Lewis Collection will go on public view at Sotheby’s London between 10–23 June, with a total of 48 works on offer at the sales on 24 and 25 June.