When Amedeo Modigliani first exhibited his series of nudes in Paris in 1917, the police arrived to shut down the show, scandalized by the frankness and sensuality on display. Among these was Reclining nude (on the left side), a painting that helped ignite a public debate about the boundaries of art and decency in early twentieth-century France. The uproar was so great that the gallery owner, Berthe Weill, was forced to remove the nudes from the window to avoid further trouble.

This episode marked one of the rare occasions in modern art when a single exhibition was censored by the authorities, cementing Modigliani’s reputation as both a daring innovator and a provocateur. The woman in Reclining nude (on the left side) lies stretched across a simple bed, her body turned toward the viewer, her gaze direct yet unreadable. Modigliani has chosen a moment of complete stillness, the figure’s elongated limbs and smooth, unbroken contours lending her a statuesque quality that recalls Italian Renaissance sculpture. The background is sparse, focusing all attention on the model’s form, while the muted palette of ochres and reds bathes her skin in a gentle warmth.

Unlike the coy or idealized nudes of Ingres or Titian, Modigliani’s subject is neither mythological nor anonymous; she is present, unashamed, and individualized, her humanity emphasized by the artist’s distinctive, sinuous line. The precise identity of the sitter remains uncertain, as is often the case with Modigliani’s nudes, but the painting belongs to a celebrated group created during a brief, feverish period in 1917. These works were commissioned by his dealer, Léopold Zborowski, who provided models, materials, and a modest stipend, allowing Modigliani to focus on his art despite his fragile health. Since its creation, Reclining nude (on the left side) has passed through several private collections and has been exhibited in major retrospectives dedicated to Modigliani and the School of Paris.

Today, it stands as a testament to the artist’s radical reimagining of the nude, a genre he transformed with his unmistakable style and daring vision.