Charles Guérin

Charles Guérin by Amedeo Modigliani is a significant drawing, executed in pencil on paper in 1919. This remarkable piece exemplifies the final evolution of the Italian modernist’s distinctive portraiture style. The work is formally classified as a drawing, and archival records indicate that the portrait was completed specifically on November 11, 1919, just months before Modigliani’s death in January 1920, solidifying its importance as a document of his late period.

The piece features the characteristic elegance and structural simplification that defined Modigliani’s oeuvre. Using deft, precise pencil lines, the artist captures the head and shoulders of the sitter, focusing on contour and outline rather than deep shadow or volume. The subject, Charles Guérin (1875-1939), was a respected French painter and engraver who was part of the Parisian artistic circle and sat for Modigliani on multiple occasions. Here, Guérin is rendered with Modigliani’s typical formal language: an elongated neck supports a face with simplified, almond-shaped eyes and a strong, defined nose, suggesting a classical or even African mask influence, filtered through a deeply human sensibility.

This drawing is highly valued for its clarity and economy of line, hallmarks of Modigliani's mature draftsmanship. The refined technique and emotional directness reflect the aesthetic synthesis Modigliani achieved during his brief but influential career.

The piece is a prized element of the collection at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York, where it contributes to the museum’s extensive holdings of early modern European art. As a key late work by a globally recognized master, the continued visibility of this drawing, both through museum exhibition and accessible high-quality prints, ensures that Modigliani's legacy, often preserved through the public domain status of certain related works, remains central to the history of 20th-century art.