A Portrait of a Young Amedeo Modigliani at the National Museum of Italian Judaism and the Shoah

There are very few paintings depicting Amedeo Modigliani (1884–1920), the tormented artist who forever changed the face of 20th-century art. Among them, two stand out: one painted by his partner and fellow artist Jeanne Hébuterne, and a pencil drawing by André Derain.

On the European Days of Jewish Culture, on Sunday, September 6, another previously unseen portrait will go on display at the National Museum of Italian Judaism and the Shoah (MEIS) in Ferrara. It is a canvas by Matilde Levi Viterbo (1869–1959), a painter who also served as a Red Cross nurse during the First World War.

Both Italian Jews, Matilde and Amedeo were related and bound by a friendship that would, over time, unite their families as well. The painting on display at MEIS portrays a very young Modì, recognizable by his deep gaze and unmistakable unruly hair, captured in a spontaneous moment. Matilde Levi Viterbo painted it while Amedeo was still a student at the Academy, before his move to Paris, which would become the launching pad for his artistic career and allow him to experience the bohemian atmosphere of the time.

The constellation of artists presented at MEIS, however, is more complex and will tell not only the story of the encounter between Modigliani and Levi Viterbo, but also of the legacy Matilde passed on to her son Dario Viterbo (1890–1961), who would go on to become a sculptor, until the racial laws and the rise of Nazism once again changed the course of events.

The story of Matilde Levi and her son Dario Viterbo conveys the sense of belonging that Italian Jews developed toward Italian culture and national identity following the end of the ghettos and the emancipation of the Jewish population.

Driven by a profound sense of care and love for others, Matilde served as a volunteer Red Cross nurse during the First World War, contributing to her efforts on the front lines. She was a painter, copyist, and miniaturist, and encouraged her son Dario to follow his artistic vocation. After graduating from the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence in 1913, Dario devoted himself to sculpture and jewelry, establishing himself at major Italian exhibitions.
He moved to Paris in 1925, where he exhibited alongside artists such as Giorgio de Chirico and Pablo Picasso, eventually being given a solo room at the 1932 Venice Biennale. In Paris he hosted Amedeo Modigliani’s daughter, Giovanna, and later, together with the artist’s brother Giuseppe Emanuele, became involved with the group of Italian anti-fascists living in exile.

When the Nazis invaded France in 1940, he was forced to leave his Paris studio, where all his works were kept, and sought refuge in New York. Temporarily unable to continue working as a sculptor, he developed his own printmaking technique, known as “chisel printing,” using jewelry-making tools to create painterly effects through varying thicknesses of ink.

During this period of profound hardship, while Viterbo was searching for a new way to keep his art alive, he was supported by his wife, Ada Vera Bernstein. She established herself as a milliner, captivating New York’s high society, from Eleanor Roosevelt to Carla De Martini, the wife of Arturo Toscanini, who could not resist the hats she created.
Despite being far from Italy, Dario maintained a dialogue with his mother through long letters in which he recounted his artistic progress. Interrupted during the war, their correspondence resumed once the conflict was over, bearing witness to the profound bond between them until the end of their lives.

This story will be presented at MEIS through an exhibition display at the museum entrance featuring Modigliani’s portrait, from a private collection; two of Dario Viterbo’s “chisel prints,” made after his escape from Europe; objects that belonged to Matilde Levi Viterbo during her service as a Red Cross nurse; her anatomical studies; and a selection of documents and books from the MEIS Library.

For further information, four free guided tours will be offered on Sunday, September 6, at 11:00 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. with MEIS curator Davide Spagnoletto, a scholar of Dario Viterbo, and at 12:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. led by MEIS guides.

To book, simply call +39 342 5476621 (available Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.) or write to eventi.meis@orologionetwork.it.

The exhibition display will be open to visitors until Sunday, October 11.