King of cats : the memoirs of Balthus

"The best way to begin is to say: Balthus is a painter about whom nothing is known." These are the opening words Balthus (1908-2001) chose for the catalogue to his Tate retrospective.

Now, with his memoir, the man himself reveals his strange life story.Balthus is most notorious for his portraits of girls on the brink of adolescence, often sitting in revealing poses. "Girl with a cat" (1937) was used famously on the Penguin cover of "Lolita".

Despite flashes of knickers or naked bodies, he denied that any sexuality prevailed in such works: any eroticism found was simply a reflection on the spectator.

This was a typical manipulation of the truth. Balthus was in the habit of making myths about himself: he denied his Jewish ancestry, and invented links with Scotland and even Byron, culminating in adopting the Count de Rola title.

As a child, he and his brother lived in Europe. Their artist mother had an affair with the poet Rilke, who was a great supporter of Balthus, even publishing a book with him.Balthus knew everyone; settling in Paris he befriended Giacometti, Miro, Picasso, Lacan, Derain and Camus and later Cyril Connolly, Ian Fleming and Fellini.

In the 60s Balthus and his Japanese wife lived in the Villa Medici in Rome, running the French Academy.

Then they left for the Swiss Alps, living in a palatial chalet: La Rossiniere.

In 1980 he had a solo show at the Venice Biennale, a great honour.

Ten days before his 93rd birthday, he died, leaving three children and a relatively small body of works, which are influential, mysterious, and, to some, perverse.

At Balthus's funeral, Bono sang for some 350 mourners including French photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson, Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan and supermodel Elle McPherson.