Tête Auction History

Painted in Paris in 1915. By March–April 1964 the work was in the Paris collection of André Lefèvre and was exhibited at the Musée national d’Art moderne [1]. On 1 December 1964 it was sold at Palais Galliera (Collection André Lefèvre sale, lot 72) and purchased there by the Musée national d’Art moderne; the museum records the acquisition as a purchase in 1964 (inv. AM 4286 P) [1][4]. The painting has remained in the Centre Pompidou’s collection, which—belonging to the French State as a “musée de France” public collection—is inalienable and imprescriptible under the Code du patrimoine [1][2][3].

The only documented market event for this specific painting is its appearance in the single-owner André Lefèvre sale at Palais Galliera on 1 December 1964, where it was acquired by the Musée national d’Art moderne; the museum’s record cites the sale but does not report a price [1][4]. From 1964 onward the work has been held by the French State at the Centre Pompidou (inv. AM 4286 P). As part of a musée de France public collection, it is legally inalienable and imprescriptible, meaning it cannot be deaccessioned except under narrow statutory procedures; practically, it is not a market-traded asset [2][3].

The 1964 sale formed part of the broader dispersal of the André Lefèvre collection in the mid‑1960s, an important moment in the circulation of modern art in Paris, though this Modigliani is not cited as a record-setting lot within that program [5]. In the wider Modigliani market, values are led by the late nudes on canvas—Nu couché achieved $170.4m in 2015 and $157.2m in 2018—establishing the top tier for the artist [6][7]. Strong results continue in France; for example, Elvire en buste realized €27m at Sotheby’s Paris in 2025 [8]. Works comparable in subject and support to the Pompidou painting—1915 heads on board/cardboard—trade at materially lower but still significant levels; a 1915 head on board, Tête de jeune fille (Louise), brought $5,868,000 at Phillips New York in 2023 [9].

Accordingly, the market significance of this painting lies less in price-setting and more in its early institutional acquisition and subsequent exhibition life. Its presence in a major national collection has helped shape scholarly and public understanding of Modigliani’s 1915 heads, while its inalienable status removes it from contemporary price dynamics, making comparables the relevant metric for valuation discussions [1][2][3][9].