Phillips to Offer Rare Modigliani Sculpture in New York at $35 Million

By Tom Whitfield

Phillips will offer Amedeo Modigliani's limestone sculpture Tête (1911–12) at its marquee New York sales in November, carrying an estimate of $28 million to $35 million.

The auction house is positioning the work as a standout. Phillips deputy chairman of the Americas and senior international specialist Jeremiah Evarts called Tête a "masterpiece" and said in a statement: "Fresh to the market after almost half a century in the same important private collection, Tête embodies everything that makes Modigliani's sculpture so revered, including its profound art historical importance."

One detail goes unmentioned: the seller. Phillips did not immediately identify who had previously owned the work.

How rare is this sculpture?

Very. Modigliani is thought to have produced around 28 sculptures during his short lifetime; only 26 survive. The artist is best known as a painter of female nudes with almond-shaped eyes, and his three-dimensional works almost never appear on the open market.

Tête belongs to a larger series of heads, examples of which are generally held by major institutions, from the Metropolitan Museum of Art to the Tate network. This one was carved from a block of limestone and features a slender face, a long nose and a tiny, smiling mouth.

What does the $35 million estimate mean?

If Tête sells within its range, it will rank among the most expensive three-dimensional works ever sold at auction by the artist. But it is unlikely to break the record for a Modigliani sculpture. Christie's sold another stone head in 2010 for $52.8 million — at the time, the artist's overall record. The same house sold another Tête in 2019 for $34.3 million.

Modigliani's current record sits far above anything Phillips is asking. His 1918 painting Nu couché fetched $170.4 million in 2015, still one of the most expensive artworks ever brought to auction.

Why now?

The timing is not accidental. Phillips is looking to catch a wave of Modigliani momentum visible at European auctions over the past two years:

• In 2025, a portrait by the artist sold at Christie's Paris for $31.3 million — triple its estimate and a new record for the artist in France.
• Earlier this year, a painting of a nude woman from the collection of Joe Lewis sold for $63.5 million at Sotheby's in London, setting a new Modigliani record for Europe.

The question for November is whether New York buyers will extend that run to the artist's rarest category. Fewer than 30 Modigliani sculptures exist, and the last comparable head to sell cleared Phillips's high estimate by a wide margin — but markets cool as quickly as they heat, and one strong Paris season does not guarantee another in New York.