Balthus

A polarizing figure in the world of twentieth century art, French Neo-Classical painter Balthasar Klossowski de Rola, or Balthus, is known for his psychosexual domestic scenes and highly refined stylistic flair. In addition to his painting, Balthus deigned sets for ballet, opera and theater productions, informed by his own attention to detail and fascination with interiors. His work was also informed by his personal relationships with artists such as Pablo Picasso, Alberto Giacometti, Man Ray, and Andre Breton, who all ran in the same Parisian creative circle. He held his first exhibition at Galerie Pierre, Paris in 1934, where one of his paintings The Guitar Lesson caused a scandal due to its sexualized depiction of a child subject—a motif Balthus would continue to use to explore his interpretations of the unconscious. He continued to work around Europe, notorious for his eccentricity and masterfully crafted tableaux.  Balthus passed away in 2001 living in Switzerland.

Balthus had his first major museum exhibition in 1956 at The Museum of Modern Art in New York. Other important museum exhibitions for the artist include Musée des Arts Decoratifs, Paris (1966), Tate Gallery, London (1968), La Biennale di Venezia, (1980), The Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago (1980), Musée national d'art moderne de la ville de Paris (1984), Metropolitan Museum, Kyoto, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (1984), Musée cantonal des beaux-arts de Lausanne (1993), and Palazzo Grassi, Venice (2001). Solo exhibitions include The Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, Chicago, Musée national d’art modern, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, Municipal Museum of Art, Kyoto, Hong Kong Museum of Art, Hong Kong, Museum Ludwig, Cologne, Foundation Pierre Gianadda, Martigny, Scuderie del Quirinale and Villa Medici, Rome. The first U.S. museum survey of the artist’s work in 30 years,"Balthus: Cats and Girls: Paintings and Provocations," was exhibited by The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York in 2013-2014.