smithsonian.com August 10, 2017

This November, Tate Modern is unveilingthe U.K.s most comprehensive AmedeoModiglianiretrospective.But the show, simply titledModigliani,is more than a survey of the artists work: Its also an immersive experience complemented by the museum'sfirst foray into virtual reality.

The retrospective, whichruns from November 23 to April 2, 2018, includes almost 100 works by the modernist artist.According to Maev Kennedy ofThe Guardian, the Tate exhibition reflects Modigliani's lasting influence through a selection of the artist'screations, including 10of the nudes displayed at his1917 show, portraits of friends, like Mexican muralistDiego Riveraas well assome lesser-known sculptures. While much of the VR aspect of the exhibitremains under wraps for now,Jonathan Vanian ofFortunereports that the museum has partnered with VR companyHTC Vive to create a digital world reminiscent of early 20th-century Paris.

A native Italian, in his early 20s, Modigliani moved to Paris in 1906 and soon ingrained himself in the citys thriving art world. Working alongside such figures as Pablo Picasso, Juan Gris and Constantin Brancusi, he developed a distinctive style: Subjects portrayed with a semblance of realism, but with elongated faces and necks, as well as piercing, almond-shaped eyes.

"His art managed to bridge the stylistic chasm between classical Italian painting and avant-garde Modernism," wroteDoug Stewart forSmithsonian magazine in 2005.

Commercially unsuccessful during his lifetimehe had one solo show in 1917, but police shut it down after seeing the artists frank depictions of nude, unshaven womenModigliani struggled financially to pay the bills and would often exchange a sketch for a meal or a drink. Plagued by alcoholism, ill health and self-destructive behavior, hedied at the age of 35 oftubercularmeningitis. At the time, his lover and frequent muse, Jeanne Hbuterne, was pregnant with the couples second child. The day after his death, she threw herself out of a fifth-floor window.

According to a press release, the exhibition will pay special attention toHbuterne and the other women who proved influential to Modigliani, especially theEnglish poet Beatrice Hastings.

As for the VR experience, the press release states that it will be integrated in "right in the heart of the exhibition" and "will bring visitors closer into the artists world, enriching their understanding of his life and art."

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Tate Modern's Modigliani Exhibition Ventures Into Virtual Reality - Smithsonian