In a move that signals both confidence in the high-end art market and a strategic pivot to capitalize on the enduring allure of Italian modernist Amedeo Modigliani, Phillips has announced that it will offer a rare, museum-quality sculpture by the artist during its marquee New York evening sales this November. The work, titled Tête (1911–12), arrives at auction with a significant estimate of $28 million to $35 million, positioning it as one of the most substantial three-dimensional works by the artist to reach the block in recent years.
Modigliani is globally celebrated as the preeminent painter of elongated, melancholy female nudes and portraiture characterized by his signature "almond-eyed" aesthetic. However, his sculptural output remains his most elusive and highly sought-after body of work. The upcoming sale of Tête provides a rare window of opportunity for collectors to acquire a piece of history that has remained sequestered in a private collection for over half a century.
A Legacy in Limestone
The sculpture, carved from a block of limestone, is a quintessential example of Modigliani’s fascination with form and abstraction. It features the artist’s characteristic slender face, an elongated nose, and a delicate, enigmatic, smiling mouth. These stylistic choices reflect the influence of African and Oceanic art, which deeply informed the modernist movement in the early 20th century.
Tête is part of a celebrated, limited series of heads that Modigliani produced during his relatively brief career. Because he was primarily known for his painting, the total number of his surviving sculptures is remarkably small; historians estimate that he produced approximately 28 sculptures in his lifetime, of which only 26 are known to survive. Many of these rare examples are now housed in the world’s most prestigious cultural institutions, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the various outposts of the Tate museum network. Consequently, the appearance of such a work on the private market is a significant event for both institutional curators and private collectors.
Fresh to the Market
Jeremiah Evarts, Phillips’ deputy chairman of the Americas and senior international specialist, has described the sculpture as a "masterpiece." In a statement released by the auction house, Evarts highlighted the provenance and scarcity of the piece, noting that it has been held in the same important private collection since 1972.
"Fresh to the market after over 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," Evarts stated. While Phillips has not disclosed the identity of the previous owner, the work’s long-term residency in a single collection adds a layer of desirability, as "fresh-to-market" status often serves as a catalyst for competitive bidding among deep-pocketed collectors who seek works with established, uninterrupted histories.
Market Context and Comparative Sales
While the $28 million to $35 million estimate is undeniably robust, it does not necessarily suggest that Tête will break the record for the most expensive Modigliani sculpture ever sold. That benchmark remains with a different stone head sold at Christie’s in 2010 for $52.8 million—a figure that underscored the extreme scarcity of the artist’s three-dimensional output. In 2019, another Tête was successfully auctioned at Christie’s for $34.3 million, a result that sits comfortably within the range Phillips is targeting for its upcoming sale.
It is essential, however, to contextualize these figures against the broader market for Modigliani’s work, which is dominated by his paintings. The artist’s overall auction record stands at a staggering $170.4 million, achieved in 2015 for his 1918 masterpiece, Nu couché. That sale remains one of the highest prices ever paid for any artwork at public auction, serving as a reminder of the stratospheric heights reached by Modigliani’s best-known canvases.
Capitalizing on European Momentum
Phillips’ decision to bring this sculpture to New York in November is not merely a reaction to the specific merits of the work itself; it is a calculated effort to leverage a clear, sustained surge in market interest for Modigliani that has been building across Europe over the last two years.
The appetite for the artist’s work has proven remarkably resilient and even ascendant. In 2025, the market received a jolt when a portrait by Modigliani sold at Christie’s in Paris for $31.3 million. This result was particularly striking as it tripled the pre-sale estimate and established a new record for the artist within the French market, signaling that European collectors are increasingly willing to pay a premium for high-quality examples of his work.
The momentum continued earlier this year when a major painting of a female nude, previously held in the collection of billionaire Joe Lewis, hit the block at Sotheby’s in London. The work achieved $63.5 million, setting a new record for a Modigliani sale in Europe. This consistent series of successful sales has provided a powerful tailwind for Phillips as it prepares for the November season.
The auction house is banking on the fact that these recent high-profile results have whetted the appetites of global collectors who are eager to secure significant works by the artist. By placing Tête in the spotlight during the marquee New York sales—a period when the global art market is at its most active—Phillips is positioning the sculpture to benefit from the intense concentration of capital and collector attention that defines the city’s autumn auction calendar.
As the industry looks toward November, all eyes will be on how the market evaluates this limestone head. Whether or not it surpasses the $34.3 million mark set in 2019, the inclusion of such a rare, historically significant piece of modernist sculpture ensures that it will be a focal point of the season. For Phillips, the sale represents more than just a transaction; it is a testament to the enduring, almost mythical status of Amedeo Modigliani, an artist whose work continues to command attention, reverence, and massive investment more than a century after it was created. As provenance-conscious buyers weigh the opportunity to own a piece that has been shielded from the public eye for fifty-two years, the stage is set for a high-stakes encounter that will likely provide the latest chapter in the artist’s robust and ever-evolving market story.