Konrad and Alexandra (pdf) - Rolf Gross

A Stunning Discovery
Paris 1981
On one of my flights to Europe I discovered, in the airline’s brochure, a review of a
retrospective exhibition of Modigliani’s paintings—in Paris. To see Modigliani’s great nudes,
which the article promised, was an irresistible temptation. Spontaneously, I rerouted my flight
home via Paris.
I found myself a cheap hotel and in the morning walked to the museum.
Until then I had only seen one or the other of Modigliani’s nudes; to face the entire
amorous catalogue of his women was simply overwhelming. From the occasional cocotte, to
his shy last companion, they had all posed for him, and presumably, he had been their lover.
Wallowing in this sensuous feast for the eyes, I was entirely unprepared to come across a
large canvas. I stood perplexed before —Alexandral
There was no question, it was Alexandra who was showing me her backside on
Modigliani’s bed. Her head was turned towards the viewer: The elongated oval of her face, her
penetrating blue eyes, the aristocratic nose of the Dadiani, the sharp lines of her eyebrows, her
dark hair. A masterful extension of the portrait in my father’s study to the full sensual elegance
of her body. The sign said, Nude reclining on her left side, 1911, Private Collection
Alexandra by Modigliani, 1911
Doubts rose in my mind. Were those subtly modeled, full thighs, her narrow, elegant
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