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In the aftermath of World War I, the art world experienced a fascinating transformation. While abstraction established itself as a dominant force in modern art, Surrealism, emerging in 1924, ushered in a revolutionary era for figurative art. Amidst the avant-garde currents, there were individuals who carved out their own path within the realm of figurative art.

Balthus, known for his commissioned portraits in the late interwar period, created Portrait de Femme en Robe Bleue in 1935. This artwork, like many from this phase, subtly distorted body proportions, creating an eerie sense of ambiguity. The reserved expressions of his subjects were amplified by the enclosed settings he portrayed. Balthus's work often stirred controversy, particularly in its exploration of sexuality. While influenced by Surrealism, he remained somewhat detached from the movement.

On the other hand, Giorgio Morandi, starting in the 1920s, distanced himself from Giorgio de Chirico and Carlo Carrà's pittura metafisica, focusing intensely on reality. Natura Morta from 1943 is one of his numerous paintings portraying objects from his studio. Morandi's lifelong pursuit was to capture the timeless essence of these ordinary items, seeking a modern connection with classical roots. This blending of modernist legacy with classical elements extended to younger Italian artists like sculptor Emilio Greco, who created Donna Sdraiata in 1951.

Italy was not the only place where, shortly after World War I, there emerged a movement referred to as the "return to order." The German New Objectivity (Neue Sachlichkeit) of the 1920s emphasized "magical realism" and social satire. In the 1930s and 40s, totalitarian regimes embraced new nationalist figurative movements for propaganda, contrasting with the internationalization of Surrealism and neo-realist expressions, which responded to political upheaval and the horrors of war.

During WWII, French artist Francis Gruber's paintings took on a melancholic and intimate tone. Nu Assis à la Chaise Verte from 1944, the year of the Liberation of Paris, conveys a mix of despair and resilience in its quiet, contracted pose. Atelier, painted in 1946, features a half-open window, symbolizing confinement at the onset of the second post-war period.

In this period of existential reevaluation, Germaine Richier began creating hybrid sculptures. La Mante, grande, produced between 1946 and 1951, transformed a woman's body into a praying mantis, a species where the female sometimes devours the male after mating. This sculpture critiqued societal expectations imposed on women. The aftermath of wartime atrocities also found expression in the anthropomorphic sculptures of Lynn Chadwick and Kenneth Armitage. In the UK, Jack Smith's paintings focused on everyday life during the 1950s, a time of profound economic reforms.

Jean Hélion, a prominent figure in interwar abstraction, made a significant shift back to figurative art in 1939 during a trip to the USA.