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 "Femme au miroir" - 1952, 1952

Sale Date: December 7, 2021

Auction Closed

L'atelier, Cour de Rohan - 1950-1952, 1950–1925

Balthus

L'atelier, Cour de Rohan - 1950-1952, 1950–1925

Sale Date: December 7, 2021

Auction Closed

Double études pour

Balthus

Double études pour "Un Portrait d'Albert..., 1952

Sale Date: December 7, 2021

Auction Closed

Tête de femme - 1950, 1950

Balthus

Tête de femme - 1950, 1950

Sale Date: December 7, 2021

Auction Closed

Etude pour le modèle dans

Balthus

Etude pour le modèle dans "Le Peintre et son , 1949

Sale Date: December 7, 2021

Auction Closed

Etude pour

Balthus

Etude pour "Nu au chat" - 1948, 1948

Sale Date: December 7, 2021

Auction Closed

Etude pour

Balthus

Etude pour "Portrait de Claude Hersaint" -..., 1948

Sale Date: December 7, 2021

Auction Closed

Portrait présumé de Jean-Louis Barrault - 1948, 1948

Balthus

Portrait présumé de Jean-Louis Barrault - 1948, 1948

Sale Date: December 7, 2021

Auction Closed

Triple études pour

Balthus

Triple études pour "La Langouste" - 1948, 1948

Sale Date: December 7, 2021

Auction Closed

Etude pour

Balthus

Etude pour "La Langouste" - 1948, 1948

Sale Date: December 7, 2021

Auction Closed

Claude Hersaint en pied - 1948, 1948

Balthus

Claude Hersaint en pied - 1948, 1948

Sale Date: December 7, 2021

Auction Closed

Etude pour le

Balthus

Etude pour le "Portrait de Claude Hersaint"..., 1948

Sale Date: December 7, 2021

Auction Closed

Double étude pour

Balthus

Double étude pour "Femme couchée" - 1948, 1948

Sale Date: December 7, 2021

Auction Closed

Jeune fille de profil - circa 1948, 1948

Balthus

Jeune fille de profil - circa 1948, 1948

Sale Date: December 7, 2021

Auction Closed

Claude Hersaint à mi-corps - 1948, 1948

Balthus

Claude Hersaint à mi-corps - 1948, 1948

Sale Date: December 7, 2021

Auction Closed

Feuille d'esquisses - 1948, 1948

Balthus

Feuille d'esquisses - 1948, 1948

Sale Date: December 7, 2021

Auction Closed

Triple étude pour

Balthus

Triple étude pour "Portrait de Jacqueline..., 1947

Sale Date: December 7, 2021

Auction Closed

Portrait de Jacqueline Matisse - 1947, 1947

Balthus

Portrait de Jacqueline Matisse - 1947, 1947

Sale Date: December 7, 2021

Auction Closed

Etude d'arbres, Villa Diodati - 1947, 1947

Balthus

Etude d'arbres, Villa Diodati - 1947, 1947

Sale Date: December 7, 2021

Auction Closed

Laurence B. de profil et étude de femme à..., 1947

Balthus

Laurence B. de profil et étude de femme à..., 1947

Sale Date: December 7, 2021

Auction Closed

Etude d'arbres, Villa Diodati - 1946, 1946

Balthus

Etude d'arbres, Villa Diodati - 1946, 1946

Sale Date: December 7, 2021

Auction Closed

Esquisses pour

Balthus

Esquisses pour "Les Beaux jours" et "Jeune..., 1944

Sale Date: December 7, 2021

Auction Closed

Etude pour

Balthus

Etude pour "Thérèse sur une banquette" -..., 1939

Sale Date: December 7, 2021

Auction Closed

Etude pour

Balthus

Etude pour "Trois personnages dans un..., 1939

Sale Date: December 7, 2021

Auction Closed

English (US)

©2024 Artnet Worldwide Corporation. All rights reserved.