956. Balthus (1908-2001), French,

Katia Reading, 1968-1976. Casein and

tempera on canvas, 179 x 211 cm.

Private collection, New York.

 

 

Balthus

(1908 Paris – 2001 Rossinière)

 

Born to the culturally elite Klossowski family in Paris at the beginning of the twentieth century, Balthus was mentored and sponsored from an early age by such revolutionary artists and intellectuals as Rilke, Denis, Bonnard and Matisse, and was later admired by André Breton and Pablo Picasso. However, in spite of his associations with the main innovators of abstraction, Balthus adhered to a strictly figurative style, often drawing controversy through his depictions of pubescent girls in erotic or suggestive situations. Always an enigma, Balthus continued to resist artistic conventions and trends until his death in 2001 at the age of ninety-two.