"Alice dans le Miroir" (1933) by Balthus

"Alice dans le Miroir" (1933) by Balthus, Centre Georges Pompidou. Photo: RMN/Philippe Migeat

Moving in 1933 into his first Paris studio at the Rue de Furstemberg and later another at the Cour de Rohan, Balthus showed no interest in modernist styles such as Cubism. His paintings often depicted pubescent young girls in erotic and voyeuristic poses. One of the most notorious works from his first exhibition in Paris was The Guitar Lesson (1934), which caused controversy due to its depiction of a sexually explicit depiction of a pre-pubescent girl being sexually molested by her teacher. Other important works from the same exhibition included La Rue (1933), La Toilette de Cathy (1933) and Alice dans le miroir (1933).