Skip to main content
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 9

Unknown
Europe's Faces - Lithograph

1961

About the Item

Title: Europe's Faces printed signature Dimensions: 33 x 46 cm Edition: 200 Luxury print edition from the portfolio of Sciaky 1961 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.
  • Creation Year:
    1961
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 13 in (33 cm)Width: 18.12 in (46 cm)Depth: 0.04 in (1 mm)
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
  • Gallery Location:
    Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU16121658643

More From This Seller

View All
Jean Cocteau - Antigone - Original Lithograph
By Jean Cocteau
Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
Original Lithograph by Jean Cocteau Title: Antigone From "Théâtre" Portfolio, 1957 Edition: 207 / 8800 Dimensions: 22.5 x 15.5 cm 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...
Category

1950s Modern Portrait 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 Cocteau - Jean Monnet's Vision - Original Lithograph
By Jean Cocteau
Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
Original Lithograph by Jean Cocteau Title: Jean Monnet's Vision Signed in the stone/printed signature Dimensions: 33 x 46 cm Edition: 200 Luxury print edit...
Category

1960s Modern Portrait Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Jean Cocteau - Europe's Founders - Original Lithograph
Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
Jean Cocteau - Europe's Founders - Original Lithograph Title: Europe's Founders Signed in the plate Dimensions: 33 x 46 cm Edition: 200 Luxury print edition from the portfolio of Sci...
Category

1960s Modern Portrait Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Jean Cocteau (after) - The Toreador - Lithograph
By Jean Cocteau
Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
Lithograph after a drawing by Jean Cocteau Title: The Toreador 1971 Signed in the plate Dimensions: 38 x 28 cm Lithograph made for the portfolio "Gitans et Corridas" published by Soc...
Category

1960s Modern Portrait Prints

Materials

Lithograph

You May Also Like

Sergeant Infantry - Lithograph by A. Dunoyer de Segonzac - Early 20th Century
By André Dunoyer de Segonzac
Located in Roma, IT
Sergeant Infantry Trenches is a Vintage Offset and Lithograph print realized by Dunoyer de Segonzac. The artwork is in good condition on a yellowed paper. Stamp signed and Titled on the lower margin. André Dunoyer de Segonzac (7 July 1884 – 17 September 1974) was a French painter and graphic artist. The gossamer quality of his etchings stood in contrast to the thickly painted surfaces and generally somber color of his oil paintings, which reflected his admiration for Courbet and Cézanne. His subjects include landscapes, still lifes, and nudes. He influenced other artists like Samuel Peploe.
Category

Early 20th Century Modern Portrait Prints

Materials

Lithograph

The Military Portait - Original Lithographs by Denis Auguste Marie Raffet- 1829
By Denis Auguste Marie Raffet
Located in Roma, IT
The Military Portait - The Appearance of Our Lady- The Classroom is an original Lithograph realized by Denis Auguste Marie Raffet. Signed on the center and numbered (9). Edition by...
Category

1820s Modern Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Dédié a Madame Vve. Charlet - Original Lithographs by Hippolyte Bellangé - 1846
By Hippolyte Bellangé
Located in Roma, IT
Dédié a Madame Vve. Charlet is an original artwork realized by Hippolyte Bellangé in 1846. Original lithograph on paper. The title appear on the lo...
Category

1840s Modern Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Original "Poteries Culinaires" vintage French cooking poster
Located in Spokane, WA
POTERIES CULINAIRES; artist: Eugene Vavasseur (1863 - 1949) antique French stone lithograph. Excellent condition. Linen backed and ready to frame. Original, archival linen back...
Category

Mid-20th Century American Modern Portrait Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Sergeant Infantry Trenches - Lithograph by A. D de Segonzac - Early 20th Century
By André Dunoyer de Segonzac
Located in Roma, IT
Sergeant Infantry Trenches is a Vintage Offset and Lithograph print realized by Dunoyer de Segonzac. The artwork is in good condition on a yellowed paper. Stamp signed and Titled on the lower margin. André Dunoyer de Segonzac (7 July 1884 – 17 September 1974) was a French painter and graphic artist. The gossamer quality of his etchings stood in contrast to the thickly painted surfaces and generally somber color of his oil paintings, which reflected his admiration for Courbet and Cézanne. His subjects include landscapes, still lifes, and nudes. He influenced other artists like Samuel Peploe.
Category

Early 20th Century Modern Figurative Prints

Materials

Offset, Lithograph

Revenge - Original Lithograph by Valentine Hugo - Mid 20th century
By Valentine Hugo
Located in Roma, IT
Revenge is an original Lithograph realized in mid-20th Century by Valentine Hugo (1887-1968). In good condition. The artwork is depicted skillfully t...
Category

Mid-20th Century Modern Figurative Prints

Materials

Lithograph

Recently Viewed

View All