Items Similar to Exceptional set of complete works, dedicated, with 8 original endpage drawings
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 12
Jean CocteauExceptional set of complete works, dedicated, with 8 original endpage drawings1946
1946
About the Item
Jean Cocteau
Exceptional copy of the complete works in 9 volumes, dedicated to Jacques Fonson, 8 with original endpage drawings
Half bound in red morocco with gold lettering
8 volumes signed by Cocteau and with an original drawing on the title page
Given by Jean Cocteau to his friend, the film actor Jacques Fonson
Dimensions: 19 x 12 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, 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:1946
- Dimensions:Height: 7.49 in (19 cm)Width: 4.73 in (12 cm)Depth: 0.4 in (1 cm)
- Medium:
- Movement & Style:
- Period:
- Condition:
- Gallery Location:Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU16123253873
About the Seller
4.9
Platinum Seller
These expertly vetted sellers are 1stDibs' most experienced sellers and are rated highest by our customers.
Established in 2015
1stDibs seller since 2015
Typical response time: 1 hour
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, Switzerland
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 7 days of delivery.
More From This SellerView All
- Victor Vasarely - Face - Original Signed DrawingBy Victor VasarelyLocated in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CHVictor Vasarely - Face - Original Signed Drawing Ink and felt pen Drawing Hand-Signed on the lower right Dimensions: 35 x 28 cm Victor Vasare...Category
1970s Kinetic Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
MaterialsInk
- Tsuhugaru Foujita - Fear - Original DrawingBy Léonard Tsugouharu FoujitaLocated in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CHTsuhugaru Foujita - Fear - Original Drawing 14 x 11.9 cm Ballpoint pen ink on paper Provenance: Succession Kimiyo Foujita Léonard Foujita (French/Japanese, 1886–1968) Léonard T...Category
Mid-20th Century Modern Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
MaterialsInk
- Enki Bilal - Happy Birthday - Original Signed DrawingBy Enki BilalLocated in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CHEnki Bilal - Happy Birthday - Original Signed Drawing Title: Happy Birthday ink and acrylic on paper, story in a board published as a poster i...Category
1970s Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
- César - Friendship - Original Signed WatercolorBy César BaldacciniLocated in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CHCésar Baldaccini Original Watercolor and ink pencil on paper dedicaced and signed in red Dimensions: 27 x 26 cm Signed César Baldaccini was born in Marseille in 1921. At the age of 12, he left the school to help his father, cooper. At 15 years old, he studied at the Art college of Marseille. He took evening drawing teachings, and then was interested in sculpture until 1939. In 1942, César received a scholarship and went to Paris. He studied ten years at the School of Beaux-Arts; he worked in the studios of Gaumont and Alfred Jeanniot and was named “Grand Massier” (teacher) of this school. At that time, he was living in the same house as Alberto Giacometti. In 1944, short of resources, he went to Marseille, then return to Paris, next year. With the 50s, he made discovered his work through his first exhibitions. One of its works (« The fish ») obtained a place in the Museum of Modern Art in Paris (1955). Henceforth, he exhibited ceaselessly, participating in numerous “Salons” in France and abroad. César received numerous prices there. He got personal exhibitions everywhere (Japan, the United States, Holland, France, Italy, etc.). Important retrospectives came, later. In 1970, he was named professor a foreman to the School of Beaux-Arts in Paris. During his all life, Caesar was stimulated by « the love of the profession » and by an extraordinary will to innovate. The humor of the man did not miss and was noticed through his work. Pablo Picasso was his major reference, also Alberto Giacometti, Germaine Richier, Pablo Gargallo and Julio Gonzales...Category
1970s Realist Animal Drawings and Watercolors
MaterialsWatercolor
- Jean Cocteau - The Fight - Original Signed DrawingBy Jean CocteauLocated in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CHJean Cocteau - The Fight - Original Signed Drawing 1923 28 x 22 cm Signed This drawing was made as a frontispiece of the book Dessins publishe...Category
1920s Modern Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
MaterialsPen
- Camille Hilaire - Nature - Signed Original LithographBy Camille HilaireLocated in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CHCamille Hilaire - Nature Signed Original Lithograph Edition: 38 x 26 cm Framed Edition: 17/175 Camille Hilaire (1916-2004) Camille Hilaire began painting from a young age. At fif...Category
1970s Modern Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
MaterialsLithograph
You May Also Like
- Migration/Transmigration - black & white, minimalist, ink and latex on paperBy Lynne FernieLocated in Bloomfield, ONIn this striking black ink on white drawing by Canadian artist Lynne Fernie, three standing figures appear to move across the canvas. Fernie’s abstract compositions explore the grace...Category
2010s Contemporary Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
MaterialsArchival Ink, Latex, Acrylic, Archival Paper
- Citroen 15CV - Contemporary Watercolor & Ink Painting, Vintage Car, RealisticBy Mariusz SzałajdewiczLocated in Warsaw, PLMariusz Szalajdewicz (b. 1974) Studied at the Faculty of Architecture at Warsaw University of Technology, where he mastered the drawing skill. Architect and urbanist, illustrator.Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
MaterialsPaper, Ink, Watercolor
- Volvo 164 - XXI Century, Contemporary Watercolor & Ink Painting, Vintage CarBy Mariusz SzałajdewiczLocated in Warsaw, PLMariusz Szalajdewicz (b. 1974) Studied at the Faculty of Architecture at Warsaw University of Technology, where he mastered the drawing skill. Arc...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Realist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
MaterialsPaper, Ink, Watercolor
- Beach Series, Ink on Paper by Modern Artist Prokash Karmakar "In Stock"By Prakash KarmarkarLocated in Kolkata, West BengalPrakash Karmakar - Beach Series 14.5 x 11 inches (unframed size) Ink on Paper 2006 ( Framed and Delivered ) Style : Legendary master artist Lt. Prokash Karmakar from Bengal was sole...Category
Early 2000s Modern Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
MaterialsInk, Paper
- "This should help you with the difficult Mr. Buckley" handwritten, signed letterBy Norman RockwellLocated in New York, NYNorman Rockwell "This should help you with the difficult Mr. Buckley", ca 1965 Hand written and hand signed letter on artist's personalized stationery with the accompanying stamped and postmarked envelope. Frame Included Unique. Vintage handwritten...Category
Mid-20th Century Realist Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
MaterialsInk, Newsprint, Lithograph, Offset, Mixed Media
- School 1994, paper, ink, 15.2x19 cmLocated in Riga, LVSchool 1994, paper, ink, 15,2x19 cm Illustrated in the magazine "School and Family" in 1994.Category
1990s Modern Figurative Drawings and Watercolors
MaterialsPaper, Ink
Recently Viewed
View AllMore Ways To Browse
Signed Works
Complete Works
Set Of Drawings
Set Set Of Drawing
Sets Of Drawings
Set Of 8 Art
1955 Works
Vintage Drawing Set
Ancient Drawing
8 And A Half
Set Of French Drawings
Stage Design Drawings
Classic Painting And Drawing
Picasso Original Drawing
Opera Drawing
1920s French Drawing
Book Of Poems
1940s French Drawings