Thérèse dreaming, Balthus (1938)
Why ? The scandal erupted late … 2017, when a petition circulated so that the Metropolitan Museum of Art removed the canvas deemed “too erotic”. Born a month after the creation of #MeToo, this query will collect more than 7000 signatures in 72 hours. So when some accuse Balthus’ paintings of “conveying a romantic image of the child-object,” others point out that this momentary pause, of tipping between the world of childhood and adulthood, has always been heart of the painter’s artistic reflection.