Paul Delvaux; Surrealist Artist

Paul Delvaux, whose surreal nudes and dreamlike depictions of skeletons and trains sell for $1 million and more, died Wednesday. He was 96.

Although he was not formally a member of the surrealist movement, he was considered one of the last if not the last of that pioneering group that shocked and offended much of the art world in the 1920s.

The Belgian-born artist died in Veurne near the North Sea resort of St. Idesbald. Incapacitated by failing eyesight and poor health, the solitary artist had not painted in years.

Delvaux’s career spanned almost 70 years, during which he gained fame for depicting the richness of the subconscious in figurative but irrational images. His work often reflected alienation and featured empty train stations, deserted vehicles or barren deserts.

His paintings hang alongside those of Salvador Dali and fellow Belgian Rene Magritte in many private collections and museums.