Amedeo Modigliani

According to Wikipedia, his one solo show — full of nudes like this one — got shut down by the police the day it opened. He died broke a couple of years later, and now his paintings sell for fortunes.

They say he barely sold a thing while he was alive and died broke at thirty-five — and now these same faces go for fortunes. I can't find what changed, except that he did.

This was one of a run of nudes his dealer had him churn out fast to sell — and when they went on show in Paris, police shut the exhibition down on opening day for indecency.