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)
Etude pour

Balthus

Etude pour "Les enfants Blanchard" - 1937, 1937

Sale Date: December 8, 2020

Auction Closed

Etude de nu - Circa 1939, 1939

Balthus

Etude de nu - Circa 1939, 1939

Sale Date: December 8, 2020

Auction Closed

Etude pour

Balthus

Etude pour "La leçon de guitare" - 1934, 1934

Sale Date: December 8, 2020

Auction Closed

Cannibal Jack - 1936, 1936

Balthus

Cannibal Jack - 1936, 1936

Sale Date: December 8, 2020

Auction Closed

Fillette relevant sa robe - 1936, 1936

Balthus

Fillette relevant sa robe - 1936, 1936

Sale Date: December 8, 2020

Auction Closed

Etude pour

Balthus

Etude pour "La Caserne" - 1931, 1931

Sale Date: December 8, 2020

Auction Closed

Etude pour

Balthus

Etude pour "La rue " - 1933, 1933

Sale Date: December 8, 2020

Auction Closed

Etude pour

Balthus

Etude pour "La Rue" - 1933, 1933

Sale Date: December 8, 2020

Auction Closed

Sur les quais - 1936, 1936

Balthus

Sur les quais - 1936, 1936

Sale Date: December 8, 2020

Auction Closed

Michelina - 1970, 1970

Balthus

Michelina - 1970, 1970

Sale Date: December 8, 2020

Auction Closed

Katia endormie - 1969-1970, 1969–1970

Balthus

Katia endormie - 1969-1970, 1969–1970

Sale Date: December 8, 2020

Auction Closed

Nature morte au poireau - 1964, 1964

Balthus

Nature morte au poireau - 1964, 1964

Sale Date: December 8, 2020

Auction Closed

Fleurs - 1963, 1963

Balthus

Fleurs - 1963, 1963

Sale Date: December 8, 2020

Auction Closed

Esquisses pour

Balthus

Esquisses pour "Japonaise à la table rouge"..., 1964

Sale Date: December 8, 2020

Auction Closed

Le vase bleu - 1963-1964, 1963–1964

Balthus

Le vase bleu - 1963-1964, 1963–1964

Sale Date: December 8, 2020

Auction Closed

Fruits dans une assiette - 1962, 1962

Balthus

Fruits dans une assiette - 1962, 1962

Sale Date: December 8, 2020

Auction Closed

Etude pour

Balthus

Etude pour "Le Drap bleu" - 1958, 1958

Sale Date: December 8, 2020

Auction Closed

Nu endormi - 1958, 1958

Balthus

Nu endormi - 1958, 1958

Sale Date: December 8, 2020

Auction Closed

Etude pour

Balthus

Etude pour "La bergerie" - circa 1960, 1960

Sale Date: December 8, 2020

Auction Closed

Etude pour

Balthus

Etude pour "Jeune fille à la fenêtre" - 1957, 1957

Sale Date: December 8, 2020

Auction Closed

Portrait d'une jeune fille de profil - 1954, 1954

Balthus

Portrait d'une jeune fille de profil - 1954, 1954

Sale Date: December 8, 2020

Auction Closed

Etude pour

Balthus

Etude pour "Nature morte dans l'atelier" -..., 1958

Sale Date: December 8, 2020

Auction Closed

Nu endormi -1958, 1958

Balthus

Nu endormi -1958, 1958

Sale Date: December 8, 2020

Auction Closed

Etudes pour

Balthus

Etudes pour "Jeune Fille à la fenêtre" - 1955, 1955

Sale Date: December 8, 2020

Auction Closed

English (US)

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