Nude in Front of a Mantel

Balthus (Balthasar Klossowski)

1955 · Oil on canvas · Robert Lehman Collection

For Balthus, the female sitter was a lifelong subject— whether daydreaming, reclining, or sleeping, often nude or partly clothed, and typically charged with erotic content. Nude Before a Mirror is striking for the sculptural monumentality of the model and the soft, silvery light that bathes the figure and fills the room. The model’s hieratic pose evokes figures in an ancient Egyptian frieze.

Artist

Balthus (Balthasar Klossowski)

Date

1955

Medium

Oil on canvas

Department

Robert Lehman Collection

Credit line

Robert Lehman Collection, 1975