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)
Cinq études de têtes pour

Balthus

Cinq études de têtes pour "Les Trois Soeurs" , 1953

Sale Date: December 8, 2020

Auction Closed

Etude de jambes - circa 1953, 1953

Balthus

Etude de jambes - circa 1953, 1953

Sale Date: December 8, 2020

Auction Closed

Jeune fille lisant (Etude pour

Balthus

Jeune fille lisant (Etude pour "Les Trois..., 1953

Sale Date: December 8, 2020

Auction Closed

Dessin préparatoire pour

Balthus

Dessin préparatoire pour "Etude pour Passage du...

Sale Date: December 8, 2020

Auction Closed

Dessin préparatoire pour

Balthus

Dessin préparatoire pour "Etude pour Passage du...

Sale Date: December 8, 2020

Auction Closed

Dessin préparatoire pour

Balthus

Dessin préparatoire pour "Etude pour Passage , 1953

Sale Date: December 8, 2020

Auction Closed

Dessin préparatoire pour

Balthus

Dessin préparatoire pour "Etude pour Passage du...

Sale Date: December 8, 2020

Auction Closed

Dessin préparatoire pour

Balthus

Dessin préparatoire pour "Etude Passage du...

Sale Date: December 8, 2020

Auction Closed

Etude pour

Balthus

Etude pour "Le Rêve II" - circa 1955, 1955

Sale Date: December 8, 2020

Auction Closed

Esquisse pour

Balthus

Esquisse pour "Dormeuse" ou "Etude pour Le..., 1954

Sale Date: December 8, 2020

Auction Closed

Esquisse pour

Balthus

Esquisse pour "Dormeuse" -1954, 1954

Sale Date: December 8, 2020

Auction Closed

Etude d'arbre - 1959-1960, 1959

Balthus

Etude d'arbre - 1959-1960, 1959

Sale Date: December 8, 2020

Auction Closed

Etude d'arbre - 1959-1960, 1959

Balthus

Etude d'arbre - 1959-1960, 1959

Sale Date: December 8, 2020

Auction Closed

Etude d'arbres - Circa 1959-1960, 1960–1960

Balthus

Etude d'arbres - Circa 1959-1960, 1960–1960

Sale Date: December 8, 2020

Auction Closed

Etude pour

Balthus

Etude pour "Paysage à la tour" - 1956, 1956

Sale Date: December 8, 2020

Auction Closed

Etude pour

Balthus

Etude pour "Paysage à la tour" - 1957, 1957

Sale Date: December 8, 2020

Auction Closed

Paysage à Chassy - 1956, 1956

Balthus

Paysage à Chassy - 1956, 1956

Sale Date: December 8, 2020

Auction Closed

L'atelier, Cour de Rohan - 1950-1952, 1950–1952

Balthus

L'atelier, Cour de Rohan - 1950-1952, 1950–1952

Sale Date: December 8, 2020

Auction Closed

L'atelier, Cour de Rohan - 1950-1952, 1950–1952

Balthus

L'atelier, Cour de Rohan - 1950-1952, 1950–1952

Sale Date: December 8, 2020

Auction Closed

Etude pour

Balthus

Etude pour "Femme au miroir" - 1952, 1952

Sale Date: December 8, 2020

Auction Closed

Etude pour

Balthus

Etude pour "Femme au miroir" - 1952, 1952

Sale Date: December 8, 2020

Auction Closed

Veste sur un dossier de chaise - circa..., 1950–1952

Balthus

Veste sur un dossier de chaise - circa..., 1950–1952

Sale Date: December 8, 2020

Auction Closed

Deux études de nus - 1950, 1950

Balthus

Deux études de nus - 1950, 1950

Sale Date: December 8, 2020

Auction Closed

Double études de jeune fille assoupie - 1949, 1949

Balthus

Double études de jeune fille assoupie - 1949, 1949

Sale Date: December 8, 2020

Auction Closed

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