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)
Visage

Balthus

Visage

Sale Date: May 27, 2002

Auction Closed

Autoportrait

Balthus

Autoportrait

Sale Date: May 27, 2002

Auction Closed

Girl at the window

Balthus

Girl at the window

Sale Date: May 26, 2002

Auction Closed

Jeune fille assise, 1994–1994

Balthus

Jeune fille assise, 1994–1994

Sale Date: May 15, 2002

Auction Closed

Valérie, 1993–1993

Balthus

Valérie, 1993–1993

Sale Date: May 15, 2002

Auction Closed

Jeune fille, 1994–1994

Balthus

Jeune fille, 1994–1994

Sale Date: May 15, 2002

Auction Closed

Jeune fille endormie

Balthus

Jeune fille endormie

Sale Date: April 20, 2002

Auction Closed

Rückenansicht einer jungen Frau, aus einem...

Balthus

Rückenansicht einer jungen Frau, aus einem...

Sale Date: April 20, 2002

Auction Closed

Junger Mann mit Spazierstock, im Mund..., 1960–1960

Balthus

Junger Mann mit Spazierstock, im Mund..., 1960–1960

Sale Date: April 20, 2002

Auction Closed

Sleeping woman, 1994–1994

Balthus

Sleeping woman, 1994–1994

Sale Date: April 19, 2002

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1994–1994

Balthus

Untitled, 1994–1994

Sale Date: April 19, 2002

Auction Closed

Jeune fille devant un paysage, 1994–1994

Balthus

Jeune fille devant un paysage, 1994–1994

Sale Date: February 23, 2002

Auction Closed

Jeune fille

Balthus

Jeune fille

Sale Date: February 23, 2002

Auction Closed

Le chat de la Meditérranée, 1949–1949

Balthus

Le chat de la Meditérranée, 1949–1949

Sale Date: February 6, 2002

Auction Closed

Jeux d'enfants

Balthus

Jeux d'enfants

Sale Date: January 27, 2002

Auction Closed

Buste de jeune fille

After Balthus

Buste de jeune fille

Sale Date: January 25, 2002

Auction Closed

Les hauts de Hurlevent

After Balthus

Les hauts de Hurlevent

Sale Date: January 25, 2002

Auction Closed

Étude d'arbres, 1926–1926

Balthus

Étude d'arbres, 1926–1926

Sale Date: December 19, 2001

Auction Closed

Vue de Paris la coupole de la Sorbonne, 1926–1926

Balthus

Vue de Paris la coupole de la Sorbonne, 1926–1926

Sale Date: December 19, 2001

Auction Closed

Projet d'illustration pour Les Hauts de , 1934–1934

Balthus

Projet d'illustration pour Les Hauts de , 1934–1934

Sale Date: December 17, 2001

Auction Closed

Portrait de Laurence Reverdin, 1947–1947

Balthus

Portrait de Laurence Reverdin, 1947–1947

Sale Date: December 17, 2001

Auction Closed

Le rêve I, 1954–1955

Balthus

Le rêve I, 1954–1955

Sale Date: December 17, 2001

Auction Closed

Étude de personnages, 1955–1955

Balthus

Étude de personnages, 1955–1955

Sale Date: December 17, 2001

Auction Closed

Le rêve I, 1954–1955

Balthus

Le rêve I, 1954–1955

Sale Date: December 18, 2001

Auction Closed

English (US)

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