In 1906, at the age of 22, Modigliani arrived in Paris, the world’s capital of art at the time. After residing briefly in Montmarte, Modigliani had moved to the Montparnasse district, which was quickly replacing Montmarte as the city’s center of artistic activity. Here some of the greatest painters, sculptors, writers and thinkers of the twentieth century lived and worked together, sharing ideas and inspiration, not to mention alcohol, lovers, and hashish.

Between 1909 and 1915, Modigliani devoted himself primarily to sculpture, doing very little painting. Paris was in a building boom at this time and much of the material from which Modigliani created his sculpture seems to have been appropriated by night from poorly guarded building sites.

He quickly became a legend in Paris. Stories of outrageous behavior and drinking abound, as do tales of his romantic exploits. He lived like a pauper but carried himself like a prince. Like van Gogh before him, he exhibited all the superficial traits of a peintre maudit, or ‘accursed painter’. In fact, the nickname ‘Modi' was as much a play on maudit as it was a shortening of his surname.
One morning after a particularly festive night in Montparnasse, Modigliani awoke to find himself stuffed into a garbage can, with no recollection of how he had gotten there. When asked about this incident by a friend, Modigliani laughed and remarked “A god in a dustbin”.

Yet through it all he worked. He drew constantly, with the assurance of a master draughtsman. Quickly and economically, he captured the essence of a subject in fine, flowing lines. Thousands of such drawings were created and legend has it that the least remarkable of these were recycled in Modigliani’s humble studio as toilet paper.