Jeanne Hébuterne

Jeanne Hébuterne (; 6 April 1898 – 26 January 1920) was a French painter and art model best known as the frequent subject and common-law wife of the artist Amedeo Modigliani. She died by suicide two days after Modigliani's death, and is now buried beside him.

Early life, family and education Jeanne Hébuterne was born in Meaux, Seine-et-Marne, the second child to Achille Casimir Hébuterne (born 1857), who worked at Le Bon Marché, a department store, and Eudoxie Anaïs Tellier Hébuterne (born 1860). The family was staunchly Roman Catholic.

A beautiful girl, she was introduced to the artistic community in Montparnasse by her brother André Hébuterne, who wanted to become a painter. She met several of the then-starving artists and modeled for Tsuguharu Foujita.

Wanting to pursue a career in the arts, and with a talent for drawing, she chose to study at the Académie Colarossi, where in the spring of 1917 Hébuterne was introduced to Amedeo Modigliani by the sculptor Chana Orloff, who came with many other artists to take advantage of the academy's live models.

Jeanne began an affair with the charismatic artist, and the two fell deeply in love. She soon moved in with him, despite strong objections from her parents.

Life with Modigliani

Described by the writer Charles-Albert Cingria (1883–1954) as gentle, shy, quiet, and delicate, Jeanne Hébuterne became a principal subject for Modigliani's art.

In the spring of 1918, the couple moved to the warmer climate of Nice on the French Riviera where Modigliani's agent hoped he might raise his profile by selling some of his works to the wealthy art connoisseurs who wintered there. While they were in Nice, their daughter, Jeanne Modigliani, was born on 29 November. Hébuterne faced domestic violence from Modigliani during her relationship with him. A witness described him as behaving 'like a madman, crazy with savage hatred', throwing Jeanne against railings and dragging her along by her hair.

The following spring, they returned to Paris. While suffering for postnatal depression

Death

On 24 January 1920, Modigliani died, when Jeanne was eight months pregnant with their second child. Hébuterne's family brought her to their home, but she threw herself out of the fifth-floor apartment window two days after Modigliani's death, (The date of death engraved on her tombstone, 25 January 1920, is erroneous.)

Her family, who blamed her demise on Modigliani, interred her in the Cimetière de Bagneux. Nearly ten years later, at the request of Modigliani's brother, Emanuele, the Hébuterne family had her remains transferred to Père Lachaise Cemetery to rest beside Modigliani.

Her epitaph reads: "Devoted companion to the extreme sacrifice" (in Italian "compagna devota fino all’estremo sacrifizio"). However, it was revealed in January 2010 that the works presented at the exhibition were forged. Christian Parisot, the curator of the exhibition was accused by Hébuterne's grandnephew of faking 77 drawings. Parisot was sentenced to a two-year suspended sentence and a €50,000 ($70,000) fine by a French court of appeals.

Gallery Works by Jeanne Hébuterne

Works by Modigliani featuring Hébuterne