Carel de Nerée tot Babberich - Standing Nude with Flower

Carel de Nerée tot Babberich (1880–1909)

Standing Nude with a Flower

Pencil on paper with the stamp ‘English Sanatorium, Leysin’

28.7 × 17.4 cm

Literature:

Illustrated in Sander Bink, Verfijnde Lijnen: Carel de Nerée tot Babberich, 1880–1909, WBOOKS, 2025, p. 312, cat. no. 333.

Additional information:

This drawing is closely related to Nude before a Balustrade in a Mountain Landscape. It belongs to a group of works created by Carel de Nerée during his stays at Swiss sanatoriums. The use of stationery from the English Sanatorium in Leysin is particularly notable. The stamp remains visible in the upper left. It also provides a tangible connection to the setting in which the artist spent his final productive years.

The slender figure bears striking similarities to the woman in the watercolour Nude before a Balustrade in a Mountain Landscape. The high heels appear again, as does the elegant pose with its emphasis on the hips and the characteristic gesture of the hand. De Nerée does not present the figure as an academic nude study. Instead, he transforms it into a stylised and somewhat theatrical presence.

Carel de Nerée tot Babberich (1880–1909) was one of the most intriguing Dutch Symbolists of his generation. Well versed in literature and active within The Hague’s society, he developed a visual language strongly influenced by Aubrey Beardsley. His work is characterised by refined draughtsmanship, a Gothic atmosphere and subtle decadence.