Modigliani & Hebuterne

Modigliani and Jeanne Hebuterne were the Pete Doherty and Kate Moss of their generation. Just like the former Babyshambles singer, Modigliani was a shambolic mess – living life to nihilistic excess in a constant whirl of drunken debauchery and remissness in the hygiene department.

And just like the cheery tabloids are always reminding us that Pete’s not good enough for ‘Our Kate,’ so the same was said of Hebuterne a precociously talented and beautiful 18–year–old girl from a good family, who ran into the sleazy, impoverished artist when he was 32.

When Modigliani died three years later, the pregnant Hebuterne expressed her grief by chucking herself out of a 5th floor window. As this nicely selected exhibition shows, Modigliani’s main skill was combining elegant, melodious lines with the earthy textures of his Parisian slums, creating masterpieces that transcended his character defects. Now, if only Doherty could sing half as well as Modigliani could paint!