Paul DELVAUX (1897-1994) Preparatory drawing for Moon City II, circa 1956 India ink and pencil on paper Signed lower right: "P.DELVAUX 28.2 x 45.2 cm (paper insolate) Provenance: Private collection, Belgium This is the preparatory study for the painting entitled La ville lunaire II, executed by Paul Delvaux in 1956 and now in the Musée de Louvain-la-Neuve (inv. AM684) thanks to a bequest from Docteur Charles Delsemme. This oil on panel, slightly different from our drawing, has been the subject of several publications, including Jacqueline Couvert's article "Paul Delvaux, La lune dévoilée" published in issue no. 18 of the Courrier du Musée de Louvain-la-Neuve in 2011. In it, Jacqueline Couvert reveals repentis visible on infrared reflectography and radiography. Underneath the first layer of paint are elements identical to our drawing: the moon in the sky on the right, the figure seated on the right in the foreground, and the toga-clad man and woman in the centre (under the cypress trees). Our drawing contains the original elements that were intended to make up the painting, but which were subsequently covered over and corrected by the artist for reasons that are currently unknown. Foundation Paul Delvaux, St. Idesbald, Belgium/SABAM, 2024