M.S. Rau Nude Drawings and Watercolors

Henri Matisse 1869–1954 French Nu avec ombre (Nude with Shadow) Stamped with initials "HM" (lower left) Pen and India ink with pencil on paper Executed during the artist’s pivota...

Pablo Picasso 1881-1973 Spanish Nu tenant un miroir (Nude holding a mirror) Signed "Picasso" (lower right) Pen and ink on paper Pablo Picasso's Rose Period is among the most icon...

Tamara De Lempicka 1898-1980 Polish Nu allongé avec bracelet (Nude lying down with bracelet) Signed “Lempicka”(bottom right) Pencil on paper This exquisite pencil on paper by Tam...

Signed, dated and numbered “Picasso / 3.2.67 / II” (upper right) Crayon on paper Hailed among the fathers of modern art, Pablo Picasso possessed a seemingly e...

Paul Delvaux 1897-1994 Belgian Study for “L’Acropole” Signed and dated "P.Delvaux 1965" (lower right) Watercolor, pen and ink on paper This preliminary drawing for Paul Delvaux’s greatest masterpiece L’Acropole, which resides today in the Centre Pompidou in Paris, features the artist’s most beloved subject — mystical scenes of nude women. A centrally-placed, stoic woman draped in a long green gown stands with her arms outstretched by her sides. She gazes at another idealized woman in the foreground, lying nude on a chaise lounge, while behind her, multitudes of other women in white dresses undertake a long procession towards a distant door. The captivating scene exudes the unique Surrealist style for which the artist has become known. With this skillful rendering of the surreal setting, Delvaux has mastered depicting nude women in a sensual yet non-erotic manner. The artist drew inspiration from a variety of sources, including the futuristic writings of Jules Verne and the mythos of Homer, and blended them with his subconscious themes, which frequently included the nude female form. In combination with the loose concepts of form and perspective found in the 16th-century Mannerist paintings that Delvaux studied in Italy before World War II, his distinctive style served to create memorable dreamscapes without veering into lewdness. Like the very best Surrealist images, the work is both innovative and engaging. Paul Delvaux's earliest and most lasting influences in his art were the futuristic writings of Jules Verne and the mythos of Homer. After completing his initial artistic training at the Académie Royale des Beaux-Arts in Brussels, Delvaux exhibited with Surrealists Dalí...

A beautiful example of the Japanese art form known as shunga, this sensual work depicts woman exploring her sexuality. Hand-painted on paper with splashes of vivid gouache color, the...