Balthus

(French, 1908–2001)

Balthus was a French painter known for his dreamlike depictions of eroticized pubescent girls. One of his best-known paintings La Leçon de guitar (The Guitar Lesson) (1934), portrays a woman and young girl in the midst of a music lesson, with the woman’s breast exposed and the young girl’s skirt above her waist. “I always feel the desire to look for the extraordinary in ordinary things; to suggest, not to impose, to leave always a slight touch of mystery in my paintings,” he once said. Born Balthasar Klossowski on February 29, 1908 in Paris, France to an artistic family, exposed to the Parisian cultural and artistic elite at a young age. He and his brother Pierre Klossowski befriended many prominent figures of the 1920s, including Pablo Picasso, Alberto Giacometti, and Georges Bataille. During the period before and after World War II, Balthus moved from France, settling in Rome in 1964, where he befriended Federico Fellini. He later moved to Switzerland with his young Japanese wife the artist Setsuko Ideta in 1977. The artist died in Rossinière, Switzerland on February 18, 2001. Today, Balthus’s work can be found in the collections of The Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Tate Gallery in London, and the Musée d’Orsay in Paris, among others.

Balthus Artworks

Balthus (1,600 results)
Valérie, 1994

After Balthus

Valérie, 1994

Plazzart

Price on Request

Nu debout, 1957

Balthus

Nu debout, 1957

Framont

Price on Request

Etude pour

Balthus

Etude pour "Léna de profil", 1954

Sale Date: April 24, 2024

Auction Closed

Portrait de Frédérique, 1954

Balthus

Portrait de Frédérique, 1954

Sale Date: April 18, 2024

Auction Closed

Nu féminin japonais au manteau (d'après , 1963–1972

Balthus

Nu féminin japonais au manteau (d'après , 1963–1972

Sale Date: April 4, 2024

Auction Closed

Nu assoupi, 1982

Balthus

Nu assoupi, 1982

Sale Date: March 5, 2024

Auction Closed

WUTHERING HEIGHTS | 嵐ヶ丘(挿画本), 1989

Balthus

WUTHERING HEIGHTS | 嵐ヶ丘(挿画本), 1989

Sale Date: January 19, 2024

Auction Closed

Jeune Fille assise (Jacqueline Matisse ?) I..., 1947

Balthus

Jeune Fille assise (Jacqueline Matisse ?) I..., 1947

Sale Date: December 14, 2023

Auction Closed

Sleeping girl | 眠れる少女

Balthus

Sleeping girl | 眠れる少女

Sale Date: December 7, 2023

Auction Closed

Le Gottéron, 1943–1951

Balthus

Le Gottéron, 1943–1951

Sale Date: December 12, 2023

Auction Closed

Etude pour

Balthus

Etude pour "Jeune fille à la fenêtre", 1957

Sale Date: December 6, 2023

Auction Closed

Etudes, personnages, cavalière et arbres

Balthus

Etudes, personnages, cavalière et arbres

Sale Date: December 6, 2023

Auction Closed