La Belle Romaine

Amedeo Modigliani's painting La Belle Romaine (1917) made a new record for the artist at a recent New York auction: £42.7m ($68.9m). I still have a soft spot for Modigliani's stylized nudes, even when they have a silly Cupid's bow mouth which predates Clara Bow. Despite their modernish cartoon-like quality, they manage to hit all the right buttons for traditional art. If I were a corporate collector buying modern art for the vaults, Modigliani is the artist I would choose.