Roy, Claude. BALTHUS. 269 pp., 182 color and 139 b&w illustrations. 4to, cloth. Boston, New York, Toronto, London, Little Brown, 1996.
Written by a longtime friend of Swiss painter Balthasar Klossowski de Rola (aka Balthus), this thorough, well-illustrated monograph explores the artist's life and work with an observant, informed style and an art historian's eye for detail and nuance. This is especially welcome in a treatment of these paintings, whose moody, cruel, and seductive overtones often ask more questions than they answer. The artist speaks freely with the author, and a more complete picture of both the man and the artist emerge.