Famous Balthus Painting Back at MoMA

Balthus is one of my all-time favorite painters. Because of certain American sensibilities, his work tends to cycle between "unknown" and "repugnant" in the popular psyche; even so, many people appreciate him: the author Thomas Harris made his Hannibal Lecter character a relative of Balthus, and there are some contemporary artists (such as Naoto Kawahara) who are quoting from his work.

The Museum of Modern Art has several of Balthus's great paintings in their collection: Joan Miro and his Daughter Dolores, Portrait of Andre Derain, and The Living Room. Unfortunately for a Balthus fan like myself, these haven't been on view in a very long time. However, one painting from their collection has recently seen the light of day: one of Balthus's masterpieces, The Street, is currently on view by the 5th floor restaurant.

The Street is a large painting with a lot going on. It's one of Balthus's most famous and scandalous works - it may not seem particularly offensive today, but the sexual assault taking place in the bottom-left corner raised many eyebrows back in the 1930's, and the artist touched up the painting in the mid-50's, moving the boy's hand away from the girl's groin.

Anyway, if the emergence of this painting is any indication, maybe some of the museum's other Balthus paintings will come out of hiding. This is the first Balthus to be on view at MoMA since I moved to the city. Seriously, you guys: you can have more than one out at a time, you know.