Items Similar to Jean Cocteau - White Book - Original Handcolored Lithograph
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 6
Jean CocteauJean Cocteau - White Book - Original Handcolored Lithograph1930
1930
About the Item
Jean Cocteau
White Book - Autobiography about Cocteau's discovery of his homosexuality. The book was first published anonymously and created a scandal.
Original Handcolored Lithograph
Dimensions: 28.4 x 22.8 cm
Edition of 380 on Vélin d’Arche
Paris, Éditions du Signe
1930
References: Pia 1998, 813. Talvart & Place III, p. 184, 40. Carteret V, p. 51. Monod 2912.
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:1930
- Dimensions:Height: 11.19 in (28.4 cm)Width: 8.98 in (22.8 cm)Depth: 0.04 in (1 mm)
- Medium:
- Movement & Style:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Gallery Location:Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU16121852383
Jean Cocteau
Jean Cocteau was a French painter, poet, designer, printmaker, playwright and filmmaker. He is one of the most important figures of French Surrealism, although he always denied being in any way connected to the movement.
Cocteau was born to a socially prominent Parisian family. His father, George Cocteau, was an amateur painter who committed suicide when Jean was only a child. Jean became famous in Bohemian circles as "The Frivolous Prince." In 1912, he collaborated with the Ballets Russes. After World War I, Cocteau met the poet Guillaume Apollinaire and the artist Pablo Picasso. In 1917, thanks to Sergei Diaghilev, a Russian impresario, Cocteau wrote a scenario for the ballet Parade — the set of this important ballet was realized by Pablo Picasso and the music was composed by Erik Satie. In the late 1920s, Cocteau wrote the libretto for Igor Stravinsky’s opera-oratorio Oedipus Rex. In 1918, he met the French poet Raymond Radiguet. They worked and went on many journeys together, and Cocteau promoted his friend's works in his artistic group.
Cocteau is well-known for his novel Les Enfants Terribles (1929) and the films The Blood of a Poet, Beauty and the Beast and Orpheus. During World War II, he created sets for the Théâtre de la Mode. In 1955, he was elected to the Académie Française and the Royal Academy of Science, Letters and Fine Arts of Belgium. He was commander of the Legion of Honour, a member of the Academié Mallarmé, the Academy of Arts (Berlin) and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
Find Jean Cocteau art today on 1stDibs.
About the Seller
4.9
Gold Seller
Premium sellers maintaining a 4.3+ rating and 24-hour response times
Established in 2015
1stDibs seller since 2015
954 sales on 1stDibs
Typical response time: <1 hour
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Shipping from: Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, Switzerland
- Return Policy
Authenticity Guarantee
In the unlikely event there’s an issue with an item’s authenticity, contact us within 1 year for a full refund. DetailsMoney-Back Guarantee
If your item is not as described, is damaged in transit, or does not arrive, contact us within 7 days for a full refund. Details24-Hour Cancellation
You have a 24-hour grace period in which to reconsider your purchase, with no questions asked.Vetted Professional Sellers
Our world-class sellers must adhere to strict standards for service and quality, maintaining the integrity of our listings.Price-Match Guarantee
If you find that a seller listed the same item for a lower price elsewhere, we’ll match it.Trusted Global Delivery
Our best-in-class carrier network provides specialized shipping options worldwide, including custom delivery.More From This Seller
View AllMarc Chagall - The Bible - Original Lithograph
By Marc Chagall
Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
Marc Chagall, Original Lithograph depicting an instant of the Bible.
Technique: Original lithograph in colours
Year: 1956
Sizes: 35,5 x 26 cm / 14" x 10.2" (sheet)
Published by: Édit...
Category
1950s Modern Figurative Prints
Materials
Lithograph
Marc Chagall - The Bible - Adam and Eve - 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
André Minaux - Original Handsigned Lithograph - Ecole de Paris
By Andre Minaux
Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
André Minaux
Original Handsigned Lithograph
Dimensions: 76 x 54 cm
Edition: HC XXI/XXX
HandSigned and Numbered
Ecole de Paris au seuil de la mutation d...
Category
1970s Modern Nude Prints
Materials
Lithograph
Roger Chapelain-Midy - Original Handsigned Lithograph - Ecole de Paris
By Roger Chapelain Midy
Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
Roger Chapelain-Midy
Original Handsigned Lithograph
Dimensions: 76 x 54 cm
Edition: HC XXI/XXX
HandSigned and Numbered
Ecole de Paris au seuil de la mutation des Arts
Sentiers Editi...
Category
1970s Modern Nude Prints
Materials
Lithograph
Jean Cocteau - Marine Mountains - Original Lithograph
By Jean Cocteau
Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
Jean Cocteau - Marine Mountains - Original Lithograph
Dimensions: 38 x 28 cm
Edition: 200
In Rives
From: COCTEAU. — VERDET (André). Montagnes marines. S. l. (Paris), Les Messagers du...
Category
1960s Modern Nude Prints
Materials
Lithograph
Jean Cocteau - Duality - Original Handcolored Lithograph
By Jean Cocteau
Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
Jean Cocteau
White Book - Autobiography about Cocteau's discovery of his homosexuality. The book was first published anonymously and created a scandal.
Original Handcolored Lithograph...
Category
1930s Modern Nude Prints
Materials
Lithograph
You May Also Like
Nude - Lithograph by Andrè Derain - 1929
By André Derain
Located in Roma, IT
Nude is a modern artwork realized by Andrè Derain in 1929.
Lithograph on paper
Realized for "Les Travaux et Les Jeux", de V. Muselle, 1929.
Good conditions.
Category
1920s Modern Figurative Prints
Materials
Lithograph
Femme Debout dans sa Baignoire - Lithograph by Pierre Bonnard - 1920s
By Pierre Bonnard
Located in Roma, IT
Very rare edition of only 25 prints on vélin fort, numbered and signed by the artist. Redness on left side of the sheet, otherwise excellent conditions and in full margins.
Dry stamp...
Category
1920s Modern Nude Prints
Materials
Lithograph
Nude - Original Lithograph by Oscar Gallo - 1946
Located in Roma, IT
Nude is an original lithograph on greenish paper realized in 1946 by the italian artist Oscar Gallo (1909 - 1994).
Signed on the lower left and dated.
The state of preservation is ...
Category
1940s Modern Figurative Prints
Materials
Paper, Lithograph
'Girl with Hands to Face' — Mid-century Modernism
By Benton Murdoch Spruance
Located in Myrtle Beach, SC
Benton Spruance, 'Girl with Hands to Face', two-color lithograph, 1940, edition 30, Fine and Looney 180. Signed, titled, and annotated 'Ed. 30' in pencil. A superb impression, on cr...
Category
1940s American Modern Figurative Prints
Materials
Lithograph
$960 Sale Price
20% Off
'Dancing' — 'les années folles' Paris Masterwork, 1928
By Yasuo Kuniyoshi
Located in Myrtle Beach, SC
Yasuo Kuniyoshi, 'Dancing', lithograph, 1928, edition 30, Davis L-29. Signed, dated, and numbered '8/30' in pencil. A superb, richly-inked impression, printed on cream chine appliqué on heavy off-white wove backing; the full sheet with wide margins (1 3/8 to 4 7/8 inches), in excellent condition. Printed by Desjobert, Paris. Scarce. Matted to museum standards, unframed.
Impressions of this work are in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art, Whitney Museum of Modern Art, and Yasuo Kuniyoshi Museum (Japan).
ABOUT THIS WORK
The French economy boomed from 1921 until the Great Depression reached Paris in 1931. This period called 'Les années folles' or the 'Crazy Years', saw Paris reestablished as a capital of art, music, literature, and cinema. Paris in the 1920s and 1930s was the home and meeting place of some of the world's most prominent painters, sculptors, composers, dancers, poets, and writers. For those in the arts, it was, as Ernest Hemingway described it, "A moveable feast". Paris was home to an exceptional number of galleries, art dealers, and a network of wealthy patrons who offered commissions and held salons.
Pablo Picasso, perhaps the most famous artist in Paris, shared renown with a remarkable group of others, including the Romanian sculptor Constantin Brâncuși, the Belgian René Magritte, the Italian Amedeo Modigliani, the Russian émigré Marc Chagall, the Catalan and Spanish artists Salvador Dalí, Joan Miró, Juan Gris, and the German surrealist...
Category
1920s American Modern Nude Prints
Materials
Lithograph
Nude - Original Lithograph by P. Puvis de Chavannes - Late 19th Century
By Pierre Puvis de Chavannes
Located in Roma, IT
Nude is an original lithograph realized by Pierre Puvis de Chavannes in the 19th Century.
Good Conditions.
The artwork is depicted through soft strokes in a well-balanced composition.
Category
Late 19th Century Modern Figurative Prints
Materials
Lithograph
