The exhibition celebrates the first ten years of life of the museum with one of Alberto della Ragione's most famous purchases: Modigliani's Self-Portrait, which entered his collection eighty years ago in 1944, but is preserved at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
The work is the only self-portrait performed by the painter from Livorno, one of the most valued works in the world, which returns to Italy after almost 80 years.
The painting, an imposing oil on canvas measuring one meter by 65 centimetres, was created in 1919 when the artist, in his ramshackle Montparnasse atelier in Paris, painted himself - the only time - while looking in the mirror. The work is one of Modì's last works, suffering from tuberculosis which led to his death on 24 January 1920.
Together with the famous "Self-portrait", nineteen works by great masters of the Italian twentieth century that belonged to the famous collector Alberto Della Ragione will be exhibited, such as the "Metaphysical still life" by Morandi, the "Enchanted Chamber" by Carrà and the great "Crucifixion” by Guttuso, all coming from important Italian and foreign museums.