"Balthus: Cats and Girls—Paintings and Provocations"

Balthus (né Balthasar Klossowski, 1908–2001) was one of the most controversial figurative painters of the 20th century, an artist notorious for frankly erotic (if not somewhat pervy) full-length renderings of Lolita-esque subjects. His obsession with preteen female sexuality translated into vaguely unnerving images, which were more redolent of thanatos than of eros. This show, the first major Balthus exhibition in the U.S. in 30 years, features 35 canvases, dating from the mid-1930s to the 1950s.