AWhen Balthus, whose real name was Balthasar Kłossowski de Rola, died on February 18, 2001 in his Grand Chalet in Rossinière, Switzerland, shortly before his 93rd birthday, he was one of the most famous painters of the 20th century. He remained that way, even though he came under fire about ten years ago for his erotically charged depictions of girls and very young women, which not least made him famous around the world. However, in 2014, the Metropolitan Museum in New York refused to take down “Thérèse rêvant” from 1938 because of a corresponding petition.
On November 13th, one of Balthus’s better-known paintings will go on sale at Sotheby’s in New York. The expectation is twelve to eighteen million dollars. The 161 by 164 centimeter painting “La patience” was created between 1943 and 1948 in Freiburg, Switzerland and is supplied by the Art Institute of Chicago (AIC). This is where the card game appears for the first time in Balthus; a topic that would occupy him from then on. You can see his model Jeanette Aldry leaning over a solitaire. The glowing candle on the gaming table can be understood as a symbol of vanitas, the chiaroscuro points to Balthus’ affinity for the Old Masters. “La patience” belonged to the AIC for almost sixty years. The museum acquired it in 1964 directly from Balthus’ dealer Pierre Matisse, the son of Henri Matisse. Deaccession – the sale of museum holdings is permitted in America under certain conditions – is used to acquire new works of art. The museum has other works by Balthus in its collection.
The artist’s works on paper appear on the market again and again, but paintings are rare. The highest bid to date was made in November 2021, surprisingly quietly, for the large format “Le chat au miroir III” from 1989/94 – the third and final version of this subject, perhaps the most beautiful picture by the elderly artist – at Beijing Yongle International in Beijing, with the equivalent of 26.15 million dollars. The painting was last exhibited at the Fondation Beyeler in 2018, with the note “Private Collection Asia”. In May 2019, “Thèrèse sur une banquette” from 1939, painted in oil on cardboard and much smaller than “The Cat in the Mirror,” commanded a bid of $16.5 million at Christie’s in New York, at the same estimate as “La patience”. Most recently, in May 2022, a “Jeune fille à la fenêtre” from 1955, from an artistic phase that was apparently not particularly sought after by collectors, was auctioned and fetched at least 8.5 million dollars (estimate 4/6 million). Even though each of them involved images of young girls, none of these works are of a character that could possibly be perceived as explicit.
In terms of motifs, “La patience” belongs in a row with “La Partie de cartes” from 1948/50 in the Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza in Madrid, where there is also an extinguished candle on the table between the girl and the boy who are playing. In “Les Enfants Blanchard” from 1937, the girl in “Les Enfants Blanchard” from 1937 has a similar attitude to the young woman in “La patience” who is reading a book lying on the floor while her brother kneels in thought on a chair behind her. The picture belonged to Picasso, who kept it until the end of his life; it is now in the Musée Picasso in Paris.
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