Amedeo Modigliani, (born July 12, 1884, Livorno, Italy-died January 24, 1920, Paris, France), Italian painter and sculptor whose portraits-characterized by asymmetrical compositions, elongated figures, and a simple but monumental use of line-are among the most-important portraits of the 20th century.
Modigliani was born into a Jewish family of merchants.
As a child, he suffered from pleurisy and typhus, which prevented him from receiving a conventional education.