CATALOGUE RAISONNÉ
The Modigliani Project is devoted to protecting the artistic legacy of Amedeo Modigliani. Our most important initiative – the catalogue raisonné project - is led by a committee of Modigliani experts who use a combination of verifiable provenance, connoisseurship, and scientific testing to analyze artworks. Our committee-based approach follows internationally accepted standards and guidelines, such as those developed by the College Art Association (CAA) and the Catalogue Raisonné Scholars Association (CRSA). By following these protocols, we believe are bringing Modigliani scholarship into the 21st century.
The Modigliani Project's Catalogue Raisonné of Paintings is initially being published online so that new results can be easily accessed. The project is focused now on identifying hitherto unacknowledged works.
The first catalogue raisonné committee meeting took place in October 2019 in New York City. Ten paintings were reviewed, of which six were accepted into the Modigliani Project Catalogue Raisonné. Since then meeting have taken place every year with the next meeting in March 2024. The deadline for Submission Forms and Fees is 31st December 2023.
Owners of paintings believed to be by the hand of Amedeo Modigliani can submit their works for review as follows:
Step One: Submission package
What we need from you:
The Modigliani Project will initiate its review after receiving the following information:
· Images. Digital, high-resolution images of the front and back of the work, along with images of any labels, signatures, or other identifying marks.
· Provenance. All information the owner has about the work, including its full provenance, publication and exhibition history, and any opinions by other experts or scholars as to its authenticity.
· Scientific testing. A scientific analysis report, including pigment analysis, X-ray, and infrared imaging. The Modigliani Project has a pre-approved list of third-party vendors suitable for this portion of the submission package.
· Signed agreement. The Modigliani Project Submission Form is available below. After completing it, please email an electronic version, along with the other requested information, to modiglianiproject@gmail.com.
What happens next?
Our research team will analyze this information, drawing on published and unpublished resources available to the Modigliani Project in the members’ personal archives; if outside research is required, the collector will be notified and advised that an extra fee might be expected:
· Records of previously uncatalogued and unpublished works, including correspondence and working paper archives of dealers and collectors active in the first half of the 20th century.
· The Foundation’s database of sales and exhibition catalogues so that we can identify, where possible, other works by the artist that may relate to the object being analyzed.
· Our proprietary databases of fakes and misattributions and scientific testing results consistent with works known to be by the hand of the artist.
· Discussions with Modigliani experts around the world.
The Modigliani Project will contact you if there are any questions about your submission package. After completing this research, the Modigliani Project will apprise you if the work is eligible for Step Two, an in-person examination by the Modigliani Project Catalogue Raisonne Committee.
Step Two: In-person committee meeting
What happens at the committee meeting?
The committee examines the artwork and associated information in detail, including:
· Review of research findings.
· Physical examination of the artwork, including stylistic and technical analysis.
· Comparative analysis of style, technique, material, dimensions, etc., of related works.
After discussing the works, the committee votes on whether an object should be included in the Modigliani Project Catalogue Raisonné. This requires a unanimous vote of the committee members.
What is the composition of the committee?
· The committee is comprised of five Modigliani experts, including Ken Wayne, who acts as the committee chairperson. The committee members are all curators at leading museums around the world.
· A minimum of three committee members is required for a catalogue raisonné meeting to take place. In addition to the voting members, a non-voting conservator is also present at these meeting to answer questions committee members may have about the scientific testing reports.
· All committee members are bound by non-disclosure agreements.
What happens after the committee meeting?
Within thirty days of a committee meeting, works accepted into the Modigliani Project Catalogue Raisonne are added to the online catalogue raisonné.
PLEASE NOTE:
· The only email address to use for communications regarding the catalogue raisonné is modiglianiproject@gmail.com.
· Do not deliver any artworks at any time to the Modigliani Project office.
