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Caryatid

c. 1912-1914
Amedeo Modigliani (Italian, 1884–1920)
This drawing, a preparatory sketch for a sculpture, is one of a series of caryatids Modigliani created between 1912 and 1914. Unlike their classical precursors, which were always draped in long robes, Modigliani's caryatids are nude. The artist referred to them as "columns of tenderness" and planned to incorporate them into an imaginary "temple of beauty." Only one of the sculptures, now in the Museum of Modern Art in New York, was ever completed.

Object Details

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