Balthus

by Stanislas Klossowski de Rola

One of the greatest living painters, Balthus is also one of the most elusive. Though his haunting depictions of adolescent girls are familiar to many, few know about Balthus the man. He leads an exceedingly private life, rarely giving interviews or allowing photographs to be taken of him. As a result, both his life and his work are the subject of unceasing controversy, intrigue and speculation.

Genres: Art

160 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1996

Reviews

[Sue Clancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

While the subject matter within the artwork that Balthus creates is not to my personal preference - I still learned more about this business of being a professional artist by reading this book and becoming aware of how another artist thinks about artwork and art careers.

[suanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

the essay is pretty short but very impactful. i admire how he loved art until the very very end and treated the act of painting as something that transcends life. not sure if i agree with his idea that his subject matter and style has no deeper meaning, it is fishy that he was so heavily influenced by eastern styles and painted a lot of nude women and rarely any nude men, reminds me of john currin

[sweet orange books · Rating 1 out of 5]

White man asking 10-11-12 years old girls to pose naked and in sexual poses = pedophile.

The fact that he is famous is an aberration.