Modigliani limestone head to make auction debut with $28m-$35m estimate
A limestone head by Amedeo Modigliani is to appear at auction for the first time after more than fifty years in the same private collection. Phillips will offer Tête, carved in 1911-12, in its Modern & Contemporary Art Evening Sale in New York on 18 November 2026, with an estimate of $28 million-$35 million.
Standing almost 30 inches high, the work belongs to the small group of stone sculptures produced during Modigliani’s concentrated engagement with carving. Phillips describes it as one of the largest examples still in private hands. Most of the approximately 28 stone sculptures attributed to the artist are now in museum collections.
The head dates from a formative period when Modigliani’s friendship with Constantin Brancusi helped direct his attention towards sculpture. His elongated features and simplified geometry drew on ancient Egyptian, Cycladic and African art, developing a sculptural language closely associated with his subsequent painted portraits.
The offering provides an opportunity to reconsider this brief but consequential phase of his career. Following European previews, Tête will be exhibited at Phillips, 432 Park Avenue, New York, from 7 to 18 November.
