Robert Detheux (1932-2010) - Les Trois Sœurs – Figures féminines surréalistes

Les Trois Sœurs – Surrealist female figures (2007) is a particularly accomplished work on paper by Robert Detheux, stemming from his series of Imaginary Figures. It is distinguished by the silent power of its composition and by an approach to the human body that is simultaneously organic, symbolic, and timeless.


Artist: Robert Detheux (1932-2010) Belgium
Title: The Three Sisters – Surrealist female figures
2007
Technique: Crayon on paper, with white highlights.
Dimensions: 49 × 40 cm
Signature and date: Signed and dated 2007
Condition: Good
Framing: Sold unframed
Sending: Artwork sent flat, carefully protected.

Description

The composition features three closely connected female figures, forming a compact and united ensemble. The bodies, broad and sinuous, seem to support each other in a fragile balance. The legs extend into shapes reminiscent of roots, suggesting a gradual transformation of flesh into plant matter.

The drawing, executed in pencil and enriched with white highlights, rests on a subtle work of hatching and superpositions. The background, deliberately left visible, enhances the organic dimension of the work.

The absence of a defined gaze gives the figures an internalized and timeless presence, detached from any anecdotal narration.

The whole conveys an impression of calm gravity and slowness, where the proximity of bodies becomes a metaphor for mutual dependence and the continuity of life.

Artistic context and interest of the work

This work fits within the tradition of Belgian surrealism, with a formal echo to Hans Bellmer's research on the transformation and recomposition of the human body.

However, Robert Detheux distinguishes himself with a more restrained and meditative approach. Here, the body is neither provocative nor narrative: it becomes a space of metamorphosis and memory.

The main interest of Les Trois Sœurs lies in this controlled tension between symbolic density and expressive sobriety. The figures are not individualized; they function as archetypes, reinforcing the universal scope of the composition.

This work is a representative and mature example of the series of Imaginary Figures.


Born in Brussels in 1932, Robert Detheux is a recognized figure of late Belgian surrealism. His work, primarily focused on drawing, explores themes of the body, dream, and organic transformation.

He developed a personal visual language, based on the breathing of the line and the depth of visual silence. He passed away in 2010, leaving behind a rare and coherent body of work.

Provenance

The artist's family collection

Unique and original work, Les Trois Sœurs – Surrealist female figures (2007) is a powerful piece, both visually accessible and rich in symbolism, ideal for a collector sensitive to drawing and 20th-century European surrealism.