Sleeping Venus (Delvaux)

Sleeping Venus
ArtistPaul Delvaux
Year1944
MediumOil on canvas
Dimensions172.7 cm × 199.1 cm (68.0 in × 78.4 in)
LocationTate, London

Sleeping Venus (French: La Vénus endormie) is a 1944 painting by the Belgian artist Paul Delvaux. It depicts a reclining Venus surrounded by anguished people at a town square with classical buildings. It was painted in Brussels while the city was bombed during World War II and Delvaux wanted to contrast the psychological drama of the moment with the calm Venus. The painting has been in the collection of Tate in London since 1957.