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 d'arbres, 1952, 1952

Balthus

Etude d'arbres, 1952, 1952

Sale Date: December 7, 2021

Auction Closed

Etude pour

Balthus

Etude pour "La bergerie" - 1960, 1960

Sale Date: December 7, 2021

Auction Closed

Etude pour

Balthus

Etude pour "La Ferme" - 1960, 1960

Sale Date: December 7, 2021

Auction Closed

Etude pour le

Balthus

Etude pour le "Portrait de la Baronne Alain..., 1958

Sale Date: December 7, 2021

Auction Closed

Portrait d'une jeune fille - circa 1958, 1958

Balthus

Portrait d'une jeune fille - circa 1958, 1958

Sale Date: December 7, 2021

Auction Closed

Etude pour

Balthus

Etude pour "La Ferme à Chassy" (le..., 1958

Sale Date: December 7, 2021

Auction Closed

Etude pour

Balthus

Etude pour "La Ferme" - 1958, 1958

Sale Date: December 7, 2021

Auction Closed

Etude pour

Balthus

Etude pour "L'Etang de Chassy" - 1957, 1957

Sale Date: December 7, 2021

Auction Closed

Etude pour

Balthus

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

Sale Date: December 7, 2021

Auction Closed

Jeune fille lisant dans la cour de Chassy -..., 1955

Balthus

Jeune fille lisant dans la cour de Chassy -..., 1955

Sale Date: December 7, 2021

Auction Closed

Jeune fille lisant dans la cour de Chassy -..., 1955

Balthus

Jeune fille lisant dans la cour de Chassy -..., 1955

Sale Date: December 7, 2021

Auction Closed

Etude pour

Balthus

Etude pour "La Cuisine à Chassy" - 1955, 1955

Sale Date: December 7, 2021

Auction Closed

Etude pour

Balthus

Etude pour "La Cheminée de l'atelier de..., 1955

Sale Date: December 7, 2021

Auction Closed

Nu - 1954, 1954

Balthus

Nu - 1954, 1954

Sale Date: December 7, 2021

Auction Closed

Colette lisant - 1954, 1954

Balthus

Colette lisant - 1954, 1954

Sale Date: December 7, 2021

Auction Closed

Etude pour

Balthus

Etude pour "Nu devant la cheminée" - 1954, 1954

Sale Date: December 7, 2021

Auction Closed

Portrait de Frédérique - 1954, 1954

Balthus

Portrait de Frédérique - 1954, 1954

Sale Date: December 7, 2021

Auction Closed

Chassy - 1954, 1954

Balthus

Chassy - 1954, 1954

Sale Date: December 7, 2021

Auction Closed

Jeune fille se coiffant - 1954, 1954

Balthus

Jeune fille se coiffant - 1954, 1954

Sale Date: December 7, 2021

Auction Closed

Etude pour

Balthus

Etude pour "Colette assise" - 1954, 1954

Sale Date: December 7, 2021

Auction Closed

Colette ? - 1954, 1954

Balthus

Colette ? - 1954, 1954

Sale Date: December 7, 2021

Auction Closed

Etude pour

Balthus

Etude pour "Nu devant la cheminée" - 1954, 1954

Sale Date: December 7, 2021

Auction Closed

Etude pour

Balthus

Etude pour "Nu devant la cheminée" - 1954, 1954

Sale Date: December 7, 2021

Auction Closed

Paysage - 1954, 1954

Balthus

Paysage - 1954, 1954

Sale Date: December 7, 2021

Auction Closed

English (US)

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