After studying art in Italy, Modigliani moved to Paris, where he met the dermatologist Paul Alexandre. Alexandre would become Modigliani’s first patron, who eventually amassed a large collection of the artist’s work. Even though Alexandre found sitting for a portrait exhausting, he became the subject for several works. In this study for an oil painting, Modigliani captured the salient features of the doctor’s face: the sharp part in his hair and his piercing stare.