Museum Ludwig, Cologne, presents the first solo exhibition of the French painter Balthus (Balthasar Klossowski, 1908-2001) ever mounted in Germany. On show are some 70 outstanding paintings and drawings from the years 1932 to 1960. Although abstract and surrealist painting was at its zenith at this time, Balthus cast his figurative motifs in a “timeless realism”, as he termed it. The influence of the Italian Quattrocento and French Classicism, together with painting techniques adopted from the old masters, made him something of an eccentric figure on the contemporary art scene. Curators: Sabine Rewald (The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York), Kasper König / Nina Gülicher (Museum Ludwig, Cologne). This exhibition will be shown solely at Museum Ludwig in Cologne from August 18 till November 4, 2007. The exhibition will be accompanied by the book “Balthus: Time Suspended”. Paintings and Drawings 1932 – 1960 by Sabine Rewald, with a text by Virginie Monnier. Balthus – Aufgehobene Zeit. Gemälde und Zeichnungen 1932 bis 1960, Museum Ludwig Köln, August 17, 2007. By Thom de Bock.

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