Jeanne Hébuterne | |
|---|---|
 Jeanne Hébuterne in 1916 | |
| Born | (1898-04-06)6 April 1898 |
| Died | 26 January 1920(1920-01-26) (aged 21) Paris, France |
| Resting place | Père Lachaise Cemetery |
| Occupation(s) | Painter, model |
| Partner | Amedeo Modigliani (1917–1920; his death) |
| Children | Jeanne Modigliani |
| Relatives | André Hébuterne (brother) |
Jeanne Hébuterne (French pronunciation:[ʒanebytɛʁn]; 6 April 1898 – 26 January 1920) was a French painter and art model best known as the frequent subject andcommon-law wife of the artistAmedeo Modigliani. She died by suicide two days after Modigliani's death, and is now buried beside him.[1]
Jeanne Hébuterne was born inMeaux,Seine-et-Marne, the second child to Achille Casimir Hébuterne (born 1857), who worked atLe Bon Marché, a department store,[2] and Eudoxie Anaïs Tellier Hébuterne (born 1860).[3][4] The family was staunchlyRoman Catholic.
A beautiful girl, she was introduced to the artistic community inMontparnasse by her brotherAndré Hébuterne, who wanted to become a painter. She met several of the then-starving artists and modeled forTsuguharu Foujita.[5]
Wanting to pursue a career in the arts, and with a talent for drawing, she chose to study at theAcadémie Colarossi, where in the spring of 1917 Hébuterne was introduced toAmedeo Modigliani by the sculptorChana Orloff, who came with many other artists to take advantage of the academy's live models.
Jeanne began an affair with the charismatic artist, and the two fell deeply in love. She soon moved in with him, despite strong objections from her parents.[6]
Described by the writerCharles-Albert Cingria [fr] (1883–1954) as gentle, shy, quiet, and delicate, Jeanne Hébuterne became a principal subject for Modigliani's art.
In the spring of 1918, the couple moved to the warmer climate ofNice on theFrench Riviera where Modigliani's agent hoped he might raise his profile by selling some of his works to the wealthy art connoisseurs who wintered there. While they were in Nice, their daughter,Jeanne Modigliani, was born on 29 November. Hébuterne faced abuse during her relationship with Modigliani, before becoming pregnant again she was suffering from depression.[7]
The following spring, they returned to Paris and Jeanne became pregnant again. By this time, Modigliani was suffering fromtuberculous meningitis and his health, made worse by complications brought on by substance abuse, was deteriorating badly.[8]
On 24 January 1920, Modigliani died, when Jeanne was eight months pregnant with their second child. Hébuterne's family brought her to their home, but she threw herself out of the fifth-floor apartment window two days after Modigliani's death,[a] killing herself and her unborn child, a son.[6][9][10]
Her family, who blamed her demise on Modigliani, interred her in theCimetière de Bagneux. Nearly ten years later, at the request of Modigliani's brother, Emanuele, the Hébuterne family had her remains transferred toPère Lachaise Cemetery to rest beside Modigliani.
Herepitaph reads: "Devoted companion to the extreme sacrifice."[6]
Their orphaned daughter,Jeanne Modigliani (1918–1984), was adopted by her father's sister inFlorence, Italy. She knew virtually nothing of her parents until, as an adult, she researched their lives.[8] In 1958, she wrote a biography of her father that was published in the English language in the United States asModigliani: Man and Myth.ISBN 1-199-15698-1
After more than thirty years, an art scholar persuaded the Hébuterne heirs to allow public access to Jeanne Hébuterne's artwork. In October 2000, her works were featured at a major Modigliani exhibition inVenice, Italy, by theFondazione Giorgio Cini.[6][11] However, it was revealed in January 2010 that the works presented at the exhibition were forged. Christian Parisot, the curator of the exhibition was accused by Hébuterne's grandnephew of faking 77 drawings. Parisot was sentenced to a two-yearsuspended sentence and a €50,000 ($70,000) fine by a French court of appeals.[12]
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