Fleeing a city in danger, Amedeo Modigliani left his Paris studio for the relative safety of the South of France. Once there, Modigliani turned from sculpture to paint anonymous sitters, executing a number of portraits of peasants, servants, shop girls and children of the Midi. In this episode of Expert Voices, Sotheby’s Vice Chairman Simon Shaw explores Jeune Homme Assis, a mature masterwork completed during Modigliani’s time in the French Riviera. A palette of soft, earthy colors confers a feeling of tranquility, while the almond-shaped, blank eyes of the sitter – Modigliani’s trademark feature – convey an ineffable sense of melancholy. Jeune Homme Assis, Les Mains Croisées sur Les Genoux, which has remained in the same family collection since 1927, will be offered as a highlight of Sotheby’s Impressionist & Modern Art Evening Sale. (19 June | London)

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Impressionist & Modern Art Evening Sale

19 juin 2019 | 7:00 PM BST | London