MA-g
The Museum of Avant-garde

Jean Cocteau

France (1889—1963)

After his father’s death Cocteau moved to Paris, where he got involved in the literary circles. Soon he became well known, publishing two collections of poems and founding the journal Schehezerade. In war time he picked up drawing again and discovered Cubism: Picasso collaborated with him and Satie for Parade. Friend of Apollinaire, he was however fiercely criticised by the Surrealist group and Breton. He wrote Les enfants terrible and Opium: the diary of an addict. Often isolated by his contemporaries, he turned to theatre and wrote several plays. After WWII he focussed again on films and directed The Beauty and the Beast, and completed his Orphic Trilogy.

Pablo Picasso / Guillaume Apollinaire

Jean Cocteau / Georges Hugnet / Izis (Israëlis Bidermanas) / André Breton / Paul Éluard

Paris des rêves

Photographic book / Heliogravure / 22 x 28.2 cm / Lausanne, 1950 / © 1950, La Guilde du Livre, Lausanne

Jean Cocteau / Richard Hülsenbeck / Hans Richter / Philippe Soupault / Jean Arp / André Breton / Raoul Hausmann / Wassily Kandinsky / Francis Picabia / Tristan Tzara / Paul Klee

Anthologie Dada

Dada 4-5 / Journal / Letterpress with original woodcuts and lithographs / 19 x 28.2 cm / Zürich, 1919

Jean Cocteau / Jean Crotti / Walter Serner / Jean Arp / Paul Éluard / Francis Picabia / Man Ray (Emmanuel Radnitzky) / Tristan Tzara

391

Dieu nous aide et fait pousser le caca / Magazine / Letterpress / 32.6 x 49.2 cm / Paris, 1924 / © Francis Picabia c/o Sabam, 2020

Jean Cocteau / Michel Seuphor / André Breton / Francis Picabia

491

50 Ans de plaisirs par Michel Tapié / Journal / Letterpress / 50.2 x 65.6 cm / Paris, 1949 / © Francis Picabia c/o Sabam, 2020

Jean Cocteau / Philippe Soupault / André Breton / Marcel Duchamp / Paul Éluard / Francis Picabia / Tristan Tzara

Cannibale 2

Magazine / Letterpress / 15.7 x 23.9 cm / Paris, 1920 / © 2020 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, Paris

Jean Cocteau / Philippe Soupault / Jean Arp / André Breton / Max Ernst / Francis Picabia / Tristan Tzara

Dada Phone 7

Journal / Letterpress / 18.8 x 28.1 cm / Paris, 1920 / © 2020 Christophe Tzara

Jean Cocteau / Jean Crotti / Christian Schad / Walter Serner / Marcel Duchamp / Francis Picabia

Le Pilhaou-Thibaou

Supplément illustré de “391” / Magazine / 25 x 31.9 cm / Paris, 1921 / © Francis Picabia c/o Sabam, 2020

Guillaume Apollinaire / Jean Cocteau / Gino Severini / Paul Éluard / Tristan Tzara

Action

Cahiers de philosophie et d’art / Magazine / Letterpress / 19.5 x 24.5 cm / Paris, 1920-1922

Guillaume Apollinaire / Sándor Bortnyik / Jean Cocteau / Philippe Soupault / Béla Uitz / Jean Arp / Paul Éluard / Lajos Kassák / El Lissitzky (Lazar Markovich Lissitzky) / László Moholy-Nagy / Francis Picabia / Kurt Schwitters

MA 2

Magazine / Silkscreen print / 29.9 x 30.7 cm / Budapest / Vienne, 1916-1925