Amedeo Modigliani (Italian: Amedeo Modigliani; July 12, 1884–January 24, 1920) was an Italian artist, painter, and sculptor, and one of the representative artists of Expressionism.

Modigliani was known for his bold paintings of female nudes, which drew harsh criticism from the conservative society of his time and gained recognition only in later generations. Immersed in ancient and Renaissance art from childhood, and closely acquainted with renowned artists such as Pablo Picasso and Constantin Brancusi, Modigliani was influenced by late-19th-century Neo-Impressionism and stimulated by contemporary movements such as African art and Cubism. He developed a highly personal style of portraiture characterized by graceful curves, becoming one of the representative artists of Expressionism.

Amedeo Modigliani was born in Livorno, Italy, on July 12, 1884, and was nicknamed Dido. The Modigliani family was a distinguished Jewish family from Rome, but his father was often away on business and played a relatively minor role at home. His mother and her family had the greatest influence on Dido’s upbringing. Because he had been frail since childhood, his mother’s love was especially important to him. In January 1906, Modigliani traveled by train from Livorno to Paris. At the beginning of the 20th century, artists gradually flocked to Montparnasse, forming a new artistic community around studio and café gathering places such as La Ruche, La Rotonde, Le Dôme, and La Closerie des Lilas. Modigliani moved there after 1909 and met artists of the School of Paris, including Picasso, Brancusi, Soutine, Kisling, and Tsuguharu Foujita. In 1917, the Polish poet Zborowski and his wife, who were also the artist’s best dealers, raised funds for Modigliani’s first solo exhibition. It was unsuccessful at the time, with only one painting sold. When five nude paintings were exhibited in the gallery, they were deemed sexually suggestive and removed by the police. The incident instead made Modigliani famous overnight. Almost all of Modigliani’s subjects, in both sculpture and painting, were human figures; only four landscapes survive. The rest are portraits and nudes of people he encountered in his life: professional models, friends, and his lover Jeanne. His approach to form blended Western traditions with a range of cultures, especially his admiration for the Italian classical tradition. His sources of inspiration also included Cézanne, the Pre-Raphaelites, Renaissance painting, Cubist painting, African sculpture, Cambodian reliefs, and Japanese prints. He transferred his study of sculpture to painting, avoiding depictions of musculature in search of a simplified quality that expressed the inner image.

Whether painting men or women, Modigliani gave his subjects a delicate, feminine quality. Their gaze is almost never focused; their eyes look vacant and empty, as though they cannot see the outside world. Modigliani also had a profound influence on early Chinese artists who studied in France. The figure paintings of Sanyu, Pan Yuliang, and Lin Fengmian were noticeably inspired by him. His influence can still be seen in the portraits of many contemporary artists today.