Robert Detheux (1932-2010) - Maternité spectrale 2007
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Robert Detheux (1932-2010) – Maternité spectrale, 2007, crayon on paper, 47 × 35.5 cm, original edition, signed, Belgium, in good condition.
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FR: Payment required before the evening of October 26. No shipments possible from October 27 for nearly 3 weeks (absence).
EN: Payment required before the evening of October 26. No shipments possible from October 27 for nearly 3 weeks (absence).
Robert Detheux (1932-2010) - Spectral Maternity 2007
Artist: Robert Detheux (Brussels, 1932 – Tournai, 2010)
Title of the work: Spectral Maternity
Date: 2007
Signature: Signed and dated “Detheux 2007” at bottom left
Technique: Pencil and white highlights on paper. Light line, hatching and reserves, airy and speckled surface
Dimensions: 47 × 35.5 cm
Condition: Very good overall. The material is held and coherent; the line and surface effects are entirely intentional by the artist and fully contribute to the work.
Sold unframed.
Provenance:
Artist’s studio fonds (acquired directly).
Description:
Drawing from 2007 devoted to a spectral maternity. On the right, a standing, nude, slender female figure rises in a space barely indicated. Her body is light, almost transparent, with white highlights that emphasize the volumes.
At the bottom, the legs progressively transform into roots or filaments, as if the body is taking root or dissolving into the ground.
On the left, a small fetus or embryo floats, connected to the main figure by a fine thread. The connection is fragile, almost invisible. The two forms remain distinct while being linked. Maternity is not here a narrative scene, but a relationship at a distance, a presence that extends and transforms.
The paper, stained and worked, reinforces the spectral effect. The line remains fine, almost evanescent. Detheux, in his later years, often returns to light female figures, linked to themes of birth, transformation, and appearance. The metamorphosis is read in the shift from body to root, from fetus to adult figure, without a sharp rupture.
We are fully in the artist’s late period: spectral figures, tenuous connections, presence both close and distant. The gaze travels between mother and embryo, follows the thread, and remains in a soft and open tension.
Rare drawing from 2007, signed and dated, of great delicacy of line. A poetic and meaningful piece for lovers of Detheux who are sensitive to themes of maternity and spectral figures.
Artist biography:
Born in Brussels in 1932 and passed away in Tournai in 2010, Robert Detheux is a singular figure in Belgian art of the 20th century. A graduate of the Saint-Luc Institute of Fine Arts in Brussels, he taught graphic expression at the Academy of Tournai until 1996, while pursuing a personal work of great coherence.
From the 1950s, he develops a very personal surrealist and graphic language. He receives the Prize for Young Belgian Painting in 1953, 1954 and 1971. The 1970s deepen the themes of the body and the female face, of hybrid figures and textures.
The following decades extend this territory toward grotesque, eroticism, and black humor, before the spectral portraits and apparitions of the 2000s.
Little exposed during his lifetime, Detheux worked freely. The uncovering of his studio fund (nearly 1,500 works) made this coherence visible.
His drawing, demanding and immediately recognizable, now attracts collectors of Belgian surrealism in Belgium, Spain and Europe.
Seller's Story
About SR Fine Art
With nearly 28 years of experience in the art market, I am passionate about rediscovering artists’ studios and bringing their works to a wide audience on Catawiki.
I specialize in Belgian and European modern and contemporary art. My flagship collection is the studio archive of Robert Detheux (nearly 1,500 works on paper). I also offer surrealist drawings, beautiful abstract paintings from the 1950s, magnificent nude photographs by Michel Pinel, contemporary paintings, Cobra compositions, and works by Marcus de Vestele, Gundi Falk, René Mels, Eugène Eechaut and many others.
From intimate drawings to large formats, there is something for every taste and every budget. The vast majority of my auctions start at 1 € with no reserve price, giving everyone the chance to acquire unique pieces.
Every shipment is prepared with the utmost care using professional museum-quality packaging to ensure perfect condition upon arrival.
Join my growing community of satisfied clients and follow my new auctions to discover rare works from these exceptional studios.
Thank you for your trust and happy bidding!
SR Fine Art
Translated by Google TranslateFR: Payment required before the evening of October 26. No shipments possible from October 27 for nearly 3 weeks (absence).
EN: Payment required before the evening of October 26. No shipments possible from October 27 for nearly 3 weeks (absence).
Robert Detheux (1932-2010) - Spectral Maternity 2007
Artist: Robert Detheux (Brussels, 1932 – Tournai, 2010)
Title of the work: Spectral Maternity
Date: 2007
Signature: Signed and dated “Detheux 2007” at bottom left
Technique: Pencil and white highlights on paper. Light line, hatching and reserves, airy and speckled surface
Dimensions: 47 × 35.5 cm
Condition: Very good overall. The material is held and coherent; the line and surface effects are entirely intentional by the artist and fully contribute to the work.
Sold unframed.
Provenance:
Artist’s studio fonds (acquired directly).
Description:
Drawing from 2007 devoted to a spectral maternity. On the right, a standing, nude, slender female figure rises in a space barely indicated. Her body is light, almost transparent, with white highlights that emphasize the volumes.
At the bottom, the legs progressively transform into roots or filaments, as if the body is taking root or dissolving into the ground.
On the left, a small fetus or embryo floats, connected to the main figure by a fine thread. The connection is fragile, almost invisible. The two forms remain distinct while being linked. Maternity is not here a narrative scene, but a relationship at a distance, a presence that extends and transforms.
The paper, stained and worked, reinforces the spectral effect. The line remains fine, almost evanescent. Detheux, in his later years, often returns to light female figures, linked to themes of birth, transformation, and appearance. The metamorphosis is read in the shift from body to root, from fetus to adult figure, without a sharp rupture.
We are fully in the artist’s late period: spectral figures, tenuous connections, presence both close and distant. The gaze travels between mother and embryo, follows the thread, and remains in a soft and open tension.
Rare drawing from 2007, signed and dated, of great delicacy of line. A poetic and meaningful piece for lovers of Detheux who are sensitive to themes of maternity and spectral figures.
Artist biography:
Born in Brussels in 1932 and passed away in Tournai in 2010, Robert Detheux is a singular figure in Belgian art of the 20th century. A graduate of the Saint-Luc Institute of Fine Arts in Brussels, he taught graphic expression at the Academy of Tournai until 1996, while pursuing a personal work of great coherence.
From the 1950s, he develops a very personal surrealist and graphic language. He receives the Prize for Young Belgian Painting in 1953, 1954 and 1971. The 1970s deepen the themes of the body and the female face, of hybrid figures and textures.
The following decades extend this territory toward grotesque, eroticism, and black humor, before the spectral portraits and apparitions of the 2000s.
Little exposed during his lifetime, Detheux worked freely. The uncovering of his studio fund (nearly 1,500 works) made this coherence visible.
His drawing, demanding and immediately recognizable, now attracts collectors of Belgian surrealism in Belgium, Spain and Europe.
Seller's Story
About SR Fine Art
With nearly 28 years of experience in the art market, I am passionate about rediscovering artists’ studios and bringing their works to a wide audience on Catawiki.
I specialize in Belgian and European modern and contemporary art. My flagship collection is the studio archive of Robert Detheux (nearly 1,500 works on paper). I also offer surrealist drawings, beautiful abstract paintings from the 1950s, magnificent nude photographs by Michel Pinel, contemporary paintings, Cobra compositions, and works by Marcus de Vestele, Gundi Falk, René Mels, Eugène Eechaut and many others.
From intimate drawings to large formats, there is something for every taste and every budget. The vast majority of my auctions start at 1 € with no reserve price, giving everyone the chance to acquire unique pieces.
Every shipment is prepared with the utmost care using professional museum-quality packaging to ensure perfect condition upon arrival.
Join my growing community of satisfied clients and follow my new auctions to discover rare works from these exceptional studios.
Thank you for your trust and happy bidding!
SR Fine Art
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Edition
Original
Artist
Robert Detheux (1932-2010)
Title of artwork
Maternité spectrale 2007
Technique
Crayon
Signature
Signed
Country of origin
Belgium
Year
2007
Condition
Good condition
Height
47 cm
Width
35.5 cm
Style
Surrealism
Period
2000-2010
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