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The Great Sirens

Paul Delvaux Belgian
1947
Not on view
Measuring over six by nine feet, The Great Sirens is one of Delvaux’s largest paintings. The work features partially nude female figures in a moonlit architectural landscape, a mysterious setting that reveals the painter’s admiration of the work of Giorgio de Chirico. Unabashedly unselfconscious in their states of undress, the women are formidable, even threatening, in their quiet seduction. In the distance, a group of beached mermaids mesmerizes a lone man in a bowler hat. Ambiguous in meaning, the painting evokes enduring themes of love and erotic fantasy.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: The Great Sirens
  • Artist: Paul Delvaux (Belgian, 1897–1994)
  • Date: 1947
  • Medium: Oil on Masonite
  • Dimensions: 90 in. × 11 ft. (228.6 × 335.3 cm)
  • Classification: Paintings
  • Credit Line: Gift of Julian J. Aberbach, 1979
  • Object Number: 1979.356
  • Rights and Reproduction: © 2025 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
  • Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art

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Small Train Station at Night, Paul Delvaux Belgian, Oil on canvas
Small Train Station at Night
Paul Delvaux
1959
Ancient City, Paul Delvaux Belgian, Oil on canvas
Ancient City
Paul Delvaux
1941
The Eternally Obvious, René Magritte Belgian, Oil on canvas mounted on board
The Eternally Obvious
René Magritte
1948
The Liar, the copy of the Liar - 1, Francis Alÿs Belgian, Enamel on metal sheet, oil on paperboard with masking tape and oil and wax on canvas glued to particle board
The Liar, the copy of the Liar - 1
Francis Alÿs
1991–94
The Guiding Light, Harold Ancart Belgian, Oil stick and graphite pencil on canvas, artist's frame
The Guiding Light
Harold Ancart
2021

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