Elvira Resting at a Table
- Date
- c.1918–19
- Material
- Oil on canvas
- made in
- Paris, Île-de-France region, France, Europe
- Classification
- Paintings
- Collection
- Modern and Contemporary Art
- Current Location
- On View, Gallery 213
- Dimensions
- 36 1/2 × 23 13/16 in. (92.7 × 60.5 cm)
framed: 44 1/2 × 32 1/16 × 3 1/16 in. (113 × 81.4 × 7.8 cm) - Credit Line
- Gift of Joseph Pulitzer Jr. in memory of his wife, Louise Vauclain Pulitzer
- Rights
- Public Domain
- Object Number
- 77:1968
NOTES
This woman was one of Amedeo Modigliani’s favorite models, a young worker known only by her first name, Elvira. Her bright blue, almond-shaped eyes reflect the artist’s trademark interest in stylized forms. Modigliani, an Italian by birth, moved to Paris early in his career and became a central figure in the avant-garde “School of Paris,” an artist group based in Montparnasse. He painted this portrait the year before his death from tuberculosis at the age of 35.
Provenance
Léopold Zborowski (1889-1932), Paris, France [1]
Simon Collection, Paris, France
by 1929 - still in 1934
Paul Guillaume (1891-1934), Paris, France [2]
Alex Reid & Lefevre, Ltd. (A. J. McNeill Reid), London, England [3]
- 1936
Valentine Gallery (Valentine Dudensing), New York, NY, USA
1936 - 1968
Joseph Pulitzer Jr. (1913-1993), St. Louis, MO, purchased from Valentine Gallery [4]
1968 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, given by Joseph Pulitzer Jr. [5]
Notes:
[1] Léopold Zborowski set up his art trade in 1916, and by 1918 had established himself as Modigliani's exclusive dealer.
[2] A 1929 publication lists this painting in the collection of Paul Guillaume, with Simon and Zborowski as former collections [Pfannstiel, Arthur. "Modigliani." Paris: Éditions Marcel Seheur, 1929]. This painting was also lent by Guillaume under the title "Elvire, enfant du peuple," for an exhibition in 1933 ["Modigliani." Palais des Beaux-Arts, Brussels, November 1933, cat. 48] and again in 1934 for an exhibition at the Kunsthalle Basel ["Modigliani." Kunsthalle Basel, January 7 - February 4, 1934, cat. 40].
[3] SLAM records list McNeill Reid in the provenance, while published sources list Reid & Lefevre, London [Patani, Osvaldo. "Amedeo Modigliani Catalogo Generale". Milan: Leonardo, 1991, cat. 283; and "Amedeo Modigliani 1884-1920." Musée d'Art Moderne de la ville de Paris, 1981, cat. 72; SLAM document files]. The dealer A. J. McNeill Reid was the son of the founder of Alex Reid & Lefevre, Ltd.
[4] Joseph Pulitzer purchased the painting from Valentine Gallery March 2, 1936 [SLAM document files].
[5] Minutes of the Administrative Board of Control and Associate Members of the Board of Control of the City Art Museum, December 28, 1968.
Simon Collection, Paris, France
by 1929 - still in 1934
Paul Guillaume (1891-1934), Paris, France [2]
Alex Reid & Lefevre, Ltd. (A. J. McNeill Reid), London, England [3]
- 1936
Valentine Gallery (Valentine Dudensing), New York, NY, USA
1936 - 1968
Joseph Pulitzer Jr. (1913-1993), St. Louis, MO, purchased from Valentine Gallery [4]
1968 -
Saint Louis Art Museum, given by Joseph Pulitzer Jr. [5]
Notes:
[1] Léopold Zborowski set up his art trade in 1916, and by 1918 had established himself as Modigliani's exclusive dealer.
[2] A 1929 publication lists this painting in the collection of Paul Guillaume, with Simon and Zborowski as former collections [Pfannstiel, Arthur. "Modigliani." Paris: Éditions Marcel Seheur, 1929]. This painting was also lent by Guillaume under the title "Elvire, enfant du peuple," for an exhibition in 1933 ["Modigliani." Palais des Beaux-Arts, Brussels, November 1933, cat. 48] and again in 1934 for an exhibition at the Kunsthalle Basel ["Modigliani." Kunsthalle Basel, January 7 - February 4, 1934, cat. 40].
[3] SLAM records list McNeill Reid in the provenance, while published sources list Reid & Lefevre, London [Patani, Osvaldo. "Amedeo Modigliani Catalogo Generale". Milan: Leonardo, 1991, cat. 283; and "Amedeo Modigliani 1884-1920." Musée d'Art Moderne de la ville de Paris, 1981, cat. 72; SLAM document files]. The dealer A. J. McNeill Reid was the son of the founder of Alex Reid & Lefevre, Ltd.
[4] Joseph Pulitzer purchased the painting from Valentine Gallery March 2, 1936 [SLAM document files].
[5] Minutes of the Administrative Board of Control and Associate Members of the Board of Control of the City Art Museum, December 28, 1968.
We regularly update records, which may be incomplete. If you have additional information, please contact us at provenance@slam.org.