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 News

Artnet News Pro

By the Numbers: A Breakdown of Results From Sotheby's Modern Art Evening Sale, November 2023

by Eileen Kinsella
By the Numbers: A Breakdown of Results From Sotheby's Modern Art Evening Sale, November 2023
Auctions

A Balthus Painting Deaccessioned by the Art Institute of Chicago Heads to Auction at Sotheby’s, Where It Could Fetch $18 Million

by Adam Schrader
A Balthus Painting Deaccessioned by the Art Institute of Chicago Heads to Auction at Sotheby’s, Where It Could Fetch $18 Million
Auctions

A Balthus Painting From the Same Series That Drew Protests at the Met Is Expected to Fetch as Much as $18 Million at Auction

by Taylor Dafoe
A Balthus Painting From the Same Series That Drew Protests at the Met Is Expected to Fetch as Much as $18 Million at Auction

Balthus Artworks

Artworks for Sale &
Auction Results

Balthus (1,600 results)
Étude pour

Balthus

Étude pour "Passage du Commerce-Saint-André, 1954

Sale Date: October 26, 2021

Auction Closed

Colonne, projets pour la décoration de la..., 1953

Balthus

Colonne, projets pour la décoration de la..., 1953

Sale Date: October 26, 2021

Auction Closed

Michelina,

Balthus

Michelina, "Abstraction du nu", 1973

Sale Date: October 26, 2021

Auction Closed

Études d'arbres et nu

Balthus

Études d'arbres et nu

Sale Date: October 26, 2021

Auction Closed

Nu assis (Michelina), 1970–1971

Balthus

Nu assis (Michelina), 1970–1971

Sale Date: October 26, 2021

Auction Closed

Étude d'arbre (Le Gottéron), 1943

Balthus

Étude d'arbre (Le Gottéron), 1943

Sale Date: October 26, 2021

Auction Closed

Étude pour

Balthus

Étude pour "La Patience" (recto); Étude pour , 1943

Sale Date: October 26, 2021

Auction Closed

Portrait du Colonel Baron Moritz de Watteville, 1937

Balthus

Portrait du Colonel Baron Moritz de Watteville, 1937

Sale Date: October 26, 2021

Auction Closed

Trois études de Michelina dans un fauteuil, 1973

Balthus

Trois études de Michelina dans un fauteuil, 1973

Sale Date: October 26, 2021

Auction Closed

Paysage, projet de décoration pour la..., 1953

Balthus

Paysage, projet de décoration pour la..., 1953

Sale Date: October 26, 2021

Auction Closed

Étude de nu debout

Balthus

Étude de nu debout

Sale Date: October 26, 2021

Auction Closed

Vue depuis la chambre de l’artiste à..., 1977

Balthus

Vue depuis la chambre de l’artiste à..., 1977

Sale Date: October 26, 2021

Auction Closed

Étude pour

Balthus

Étude pour "Les Hauts de Hurlevent",..., 1930–1935

Sale Date: October 26, 2021

Auction Closed

Portrait du Colonel Baron Moritz de..., 1937

Balthus

Portrait du Colonel Baron Moritz de..., 1937

Sale Date: October 26, 2021

Auction Closed

La Séance de pose, 1975

Balthus

La Séance de pose, 1975

Sale Date: October 26, 2021

Auction Closed

Étude pour

Balthus

Étude pour "Nu couché" (recto; verso), 1976–1977

Sale Date: October 26, 2021

Auction Closed

Étude pour

Balthus

Étude pour "La Patience", 1943

Sale Date: October 26, 2021

Auction Closed

Katia dans un fauteuil, 1970–1971

Balthus

Katia dans un fauteuil, 1970–1971

Sale Date: October 26, 2021

Auction Closed

Portrait de Michelina, 1971

Balthus

Portrait de Michelina, 1971

Sale Date: October 26, 2021

Auction Closed

Profil de Valérie Henchoz (recto); Trois..., 1980

Balthus

Profil de Valérie Henchoz (recto); Trois..., 1980

Sale Date: October 26, 2021

Auction Closed

Trois arbres, 1953

Balthus

Trois arbres, 1953

Sale Date: October 26, 2021

Auction Closed

Roses, projet de décoration pour la chambre..., 1953

Balthus

Roses, projet de décoration pour la chambre..., 1953

Sale Date: October 26, 2021

Auction Closed

Portrait de Valérie Henchoz (recto); Valérie , 1993

Balthus

Portrait de Valérie Henchoz (recto); Valérie , 1993

Sale Date: October 26, 2021

Auction Closed

Jeune fille étendue, 1948, 1948

Balthus

Jeune fille étendue, 1948, 1948

Sale Date: October 20, 2021

Auction Closed

English (US)

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