Modigliani's Tête: A Head Carved for a Temple of Beauty Leads Phillips in New York
Amedeo Modigliani carved Tête from a single block of limestone in Paris in 1911 to 1912. Fresh from 5 decades in 1 collection, it leads Phillips' New York Evening Sale on November 17, estimated at $28 million to $35 million.
Modigliani is best known for his almond eyed nudes, but for a brief stretch he worked almost only in stone. Between 1911 and 1912 in Paris, he gave himself almost entirely to direct carving, cutting straight into the block, encouraged by his close friendship with Constantin Brancusi. Tête comes from that short, intense period: a head carved from a single block of limestone, nearly 30 inches tall (29 by 12 by 9 inches), with a long, narrow face, a ridge of a nose and a tiny smiling mouth.
The heads were never meant to stand alone. Modigliani imagined them as a row of caryatids for what he called a "temple of beauty," a building that was never made. Phillips' Jeremiah Evarts points to sources "ranging from ancient Egyptian, Cycladic, and African art" through to the radical innovations of early Modernism, all compressed into elongated forms and restrained geometry. Of the roughly 28 stone sculptures Modigliani made, most now belong to museums, including MoMA, the Guggenheim, Tate and the Centre Pompidou. This is among the largest of the few still in private hands.
It has not been seen at auction before. Tête has stayed in the same private collection for more than 5 decades (ARTnews reports it last changed hands in 1972), and after stops in London (October 13 to 15) and Paris (October 17 to 21) it goes on view at Phillips, 432 Park Avenue, from November 7. On Tuesday, November 17 at 4:30 PM ET it leads the Modern & Contemporary Art Evening Sale, 23 lots estimated in excess of $70.4 million, with an estimate of $28 million to $35 million, the highest value sculpture Phillips has ever offered.
For context, Christie's sold another Modigliani Tête for $34.3 million in 2019, according to ARTnews. The sale lands in the middle of New York's marquee sales, a day after Sotheby's opens with its Now and Contemporary evening on November 16 and the same night as Christie's 20th Century Evening Sale. Whatever the result, it is a rare chance to see 1 of the stone heads outside a museum vitrine, close to how Modigliani left it more than a century ago.
Sources
- In Search of the Eternal: Amedeo Modigliani's Tête to Headline Phillips' November Evening Sale, Phillips press release, October 13, 2026
- Extraordinary Provenance and Esteemed Collections Define Phillips' November Sales, Phillips press release, November 2, 2026
- Lot page: Amedeo Modigliani, Tête, Phillips
- Phillips to Sell Rare Amedeo Modigliani Sculpture, ARTnews, October 13, 2026
- Christie's 20th Century Evening Sale, Christie's press release
- Thumbnail: Amedeo Modigliani, Tête, 1911 to 1912, courtesy Phillips