Jeanne Hébuterne

Jeanne Hébuterne is an oil on canvas painting created by Amedeo Modigliani in 1919. This distinctive portrait of a woman exemplifies the artist’s mature, late style. Executed in a highly refined technique, the canvas features the stylized, elongated neck and facial features that defined Modigliani's output during his years in Paris. The limited color palette, dominated by ochres, browns, and soft blues, draws focus to the subject's quiet posture and internal mood rather than external decorative detail.

Modigliani created several intimate portraits of Jeanne Hébuterne, his primary companion and muse during the last years of his life. This particular depiction presents her in a three-quarter pose, her reserved expression emphasized by the artist's use of simplified geometric forms and the characteristic almond-shaped, vacant eyes. The emphasis on line and formal geometry, while firmly rooted in the tradition of portraits, demonstrates the artist’s assimilation of post-Impressionist and African sculptural influences into a uniquely modern vision.

As 1919 was the final year of the artist’s life, this piece is recognized as a critical document of Modigliani's final stylistic achievements and his intense personal relationship with the sitter. The painting is held in the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where it serves as a central example of early 20th-century figurative modernism. The visual legacy of Jeanne Hébuterne is vast; high-quality prints and reproductions of the work are widely popular. As the year of creation was 1919, the painting is highly scrutinized regarding its eventual transition into the public domain, ensuring its imagery remains broadly accessible for study and academic purposes.