Madrid’s Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza opens a major retrospective on the work of artist Balthasar Klossowski de Role (1908-2001), who was known as Balthus, on 19 February.
Balthus is regarded as one of the most original painters of the 20th century, often working at odds with the avant-garde movements that were so prevalent at the time to create his own post-modern style.
His influences included a wide range of artists such as Piero della Francesca, Caravaggio, Poussin, Géricault and Courbet, while he also looked to 19th-century children’s books and elements of Surrealism can also be found in his pieces.
Curator Raphaël Bouvier with the support of Michiko Kono and Juan Ángel López-Manzanares have brought together examples of Balthus’s work from throughout his career, starting in the 1920s.
The exhibition explores a range of themes such as the intellectual interaction between the dimensions of space and time in his paintings, relationships between figure and object, and the many mysteries and contradictions that his work create.
The exhibition is organised with the Foundation Beyeler in Riehen/Basel, where it was displayed from September 2018 until last month.
When: 19 February to 26 May
Where: Museo Nacional Thyssen-Bornemisza
More info: museothyssen.org
