Skip to main content
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 8

Jean Cocteau
Jean Cocteau - Young Woman - Drawing

Circa 1912

About the Item

Jean Cocteau - Young Woman - Drawing Circa 1912 27 x 21 cm Unsigned With an attestation of authenticity by Annie Guédras, Jean Cocteau Writer, artist and film director Jean Cocteau was one of the most influential creative figures in the Parisian avant-garde between the two World Wars. “The poet never asks for admiration; he wants to be believed.” —Jean Cocteau Synopsis Jean Cocteau was born on July 5, 1889, in Maisons-Laffitte, France. He spent most of his life in Paris, where he became part of the artistic avant-garde and was known for his variety of accomplishments. Over a 50-year career, he wrote poetry, novels and plays; created illustrations, paintings and other art objects; and directed influential films, including The Beauty and the Beast and Orpheus. He died on October 11, 1963. Early Life and Literary Debut Jean Cocteau was born on July 5, 1889, in Maisons-Laffitte, France, a village 12 miles outside Paris, to Georges and Eugénie (née) Lecomte Cocteau. He and his two older siblings were brought up in comfortable household in Paris, where they were introduced to the arts by their parents. Their father, a lawyer and amateur artist, committed suicide in 1898. After his father's death, Cocteau was raised by his mother and his maternal grandfather. He attended school at the Lycée de Condorcet in Paris and he showed an early talent for writing. When he was just 18, his poetry was read aloud in performance arranged by the well-known actor Edouard de Max, and he became the toast of literary Paris. His first book of poems, La Lampe d'Aladin (Aladdin's Lamp), was published a year later, in 1909. Cocteau and the Parisian Avant-Garde In the 1910s, Cocteau formed friendships with many prominent members of the Parisian avant-garde, including writer Guillaume Apollinaire and artists Amedeo Modigliani and Pablo Picasso. He was so impressed by seeing the dancer Vaslav Nijinsky perform with the Ballets Russes that he met the company's founder, Sergei Diaghilev, and asked to work with him. Cocteau designed posters for the Ballets Russe, and in 1917 he was one of the collaborators on the ballet Parade: Cocteau wrote the story, Erik Satie composed the music, Léonide Massine choreographed the dance and Picasso designed the set and costumes. Cocteau's activities of the 1920s were remarkably varied. He composed opera libretti for several composers. He published collections of poetry and illustrations as well as a novel inspired by his experiences during World War I. He staged a ballet called Le Boeuf Sur le Toit (The Ox on the Roof) and directed modern adaptations of several classic dramas. He promoted the work of young writer Raymond Radiguet, with whom he fell in love. When Radiguet died of typhoid fever, Cocteau was despondent and tried to console himself by taking opium. Filmmaking In 1930, Cocteau wrote and directed his first motion picture, the silent, surrealistic film Le Sang d'un Poète (The Blood of a Poet). Like many of his signature works, it portrayed a creative artist's encounters with love and death. After a 16-year interval, Cocteau made his most famous film, La Belle et la Bête (The Beauty and the Beast), a retelling of a classic fairy tale. This motion picture, starring Josette Day and Jean Marais, would inspire many other filmmakers with its dreamlike atmosphere and surrealistic special effects. Cocteau went on to write and direct several other films in the 1940s. Later Years Cocteau returned to the subject of the solitary artist-poet in his film Orphée, a surreal adaptation of the ancient Greek myth of Orpheus starring Jean Marais. He completed his "Orpheus trilogy" in 1960 with Le Testament d'Orphée (The Testament of Orpheus), in which he played a poet much like himself. In his late years, Cocteau was also famous just for being Cocteau: He had rightfully gained a reputation as one of the most versatile and influential creative minds of his era. In 1955, he was inducted into the Academie Française. Cocteau died of a heart attack at the age of 74, on October 11, 1963, at his chateau in Milly-la-Forêt, France.
  • Creator:
    Jean Cocteau (French)
  • Creation Year:
    Circa 1912
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 10.63 in (27 cm)Width: 8.27 in (21 cm)Depth: 0.04 in (1 mm)
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
  • Gallery Location:
    Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU16125266112

More From This Seller

View All
Henri Matisse (After) - Lithograph - Flowers
By (after) Henri Matisse
Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
after Henri MATISSE (1869-1954) Lithograph Signed in the plate Vélin Paper Dimensions: 32 x 24 cm (12 x 9") This lithograph is one of a rare edition made during the Second World War ...
Category

1940s Modern Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Marc Chagall - Meeting of Ruth and Boaz - Original Lithograph
By Marc Chagall
Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
Marc Chagall, Original Lithograh depicting an instant of the Bible. Technique: Original lithograph in colours (Mourlot no. 234) On the reverse: another black and white original litho...
Category

1960s Modern Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Pablo Picasso - The Painter and His Model - Original Lithograph
By Pablo Picasso
Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
Original Lithograph - Pablo Picasso Title: The Painter and His Model This is unsigned and unnumbered, as issued From the book/portfolio "Regards sur Paris" Published by André Saure...
Category

1960s Modern Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Jean Dubuffet - original lithograph from XXe Siecle magazine
By Jean Dubuffet
Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
Jean Dubuffet - Original Lithograph from XXe Siecle magazine 1958 Dimensions: 32 x 25 cm Edition: G. di San Lazzaro. Unsigned and unumbered as issued
Category

1960s Modern Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Marc Chagall - Revolution - Original 1960s Poster for Galiera Museum
By Marc Chagall
Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
after Marc CHAGALL (1887 - 1985) Poster for "Les peintres témoins de leur temps Musée Galiera" 1963 Created by Charles Sorlier after Chagall's 1937 painting...
Category

1960s Modern Figurative Prints

The Human Comedy - Lithograph
By (after) Pablo Picasso
Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
after Pablo Picasso - The Human Comedy - Lithograph Signed and dated in the plate Dimensions: 32 x 24 cm This artwork is a lithograph in colors on wov...
Category

1950s Modern Portrait Prints

Materials

Lithograph

You May Also Like

"Bessie Smith" - Musician's Portrait Etching on Paper (A/P)
Located in Soquel, CA
"Bessie Smith" - Musician's Portrait Etching on Paper (A/P) Clean and modern drypoint etching of a jazz singer Bessie Smith by Maria Bennett (American, 20th Century). The singer is ...
Category

1970s Modern Portrait Prints

Materials

Paper, Ink, Drypoint

Woodblock Portrait of a Woman
Located in Soquel, CA
Bold woodblock print of a woman by J. Duffy (American, 20th Century). The subject is staring directly at the viewer, creating a compelling yet delicate composition. The ink appears t...
Category

1950s Modern Portrait Prints

Materials

Paper, Ink, Woodcut

Topol in Fiddler on the Roof (Hand signed by Chaim Topol and the original cast)
Located in New York, NY
Chaim Topol in Fiddler on the Roof (Hand signed by Chaim Topol and the original cast members), 1990 Offset lithograph poster (ink signed) Hand signed in ink by Chaim Topol, Marcia Le...
Category

1990s Modern Portrait Prints

Materials

Ink, Lithograph, Offset

Internal - Original China ink by Antonio Presti - Late 20th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Internal is an original artwork in China ink on ivory-colored paper realized by Antonio Presti. The state of preservation is good. Not signed.
Category

Late 20th Century Modern Figurative Prints

Materials

Ink

Family Scene - Original China ink by Antonio Presti - Late 20th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Internal is an original artwork in China ink on ivory-colored paper realized by Antonio Presti. The state of preservation is good. Not signed.
Category

Late 20th Century Modern Figurative Prints

Materials

Ink

Man - Original China Ink - 1920 ca
Located in Roma, IT
Man is an original drawing in China ink on brownish paper, realized by an Anonymous artist of the XX century, in 1920 ca. With the stamp of "collection of...
Category

1920s Modern Figurative Prints

Materials

Ink

Recently Viewed

View All