Amedeo Modigliani had the title of “cursed” artist. One of his famous works, “Portrait of Elvira” was sold today (24.10.2025) at an auction in Paris for 27 million euros, a record amount in France for a painting by the Italian painter, the auction house announced Sotheby’s.
The portrait was created in 1918/19 and depicts a young girl from Caen-sur-Mer in France, whom Modigliani painted repeatedly during his time in the area. Its initial estimate ranged from 5.5-7.5 million euros.
Another Modigliani painting, a rare portrait of Raymond Radige, later author of the novel The Devil in Her Body, sold for 10.6 million euros. The work was created in 1915, when Radige was only 12 years old. Modigliani met him at the time when the child dropped out of school and frequented the circles of avant-garde artists in Montparnasse.
Earlier, the first of the famous “Black Magic” paintings by the Belgian René Magritte was sold at another auction by the same house for 10.7 million euros. The work was created in 1934 and its former owners acquired it directly from the painter the following year.
The previous record for a painting in the “Black Magic” series was 5.7 million euros.