1889-1963 Born to a wealthy family in a small town near Paris. Cocteau's father committed suicide when he was about 10 yeas old.  In 1900, he entered a private school and was expelled in 1904. After his expulsion from school, Cocteau ran away to Marseilles where he lived in the "red light distinct" under a false name. Police discovered him in Marseilles and returned him to his uncle's care.  At the age of 17 or 18, Cocteau fell in love with an actress named Madeleine Calie.  She was 30 years old at the time.  She later ended the relationship.  In 1908, Cocteau associated himself with Edouard de Max. De Max was a reigning tragedian of the Paris stage. De Max encouraged Cocteau to write and on April 4 of that year entered the Theatre Femina for the premiere of the young writers poetry.  In 1909, Cocteau met the Russian impressario Sergey Daighilev who ran the Ballets Russes.  Daighilev encouraged Cocteau to venture into the genre of ballet.  The Russian challenged Cocteau to "Ettonne-moi" (Surprise me).  The remark pushed Cocteau to write the libretto for an exotic ballet called Le Dieu Bleu. During this time, Cocteau also met composer Igor Stravinsky who was working on his composition The Rite of Spring.  In the spring of 1914, Cocteau visited Stravinsky in Switzerland.  It was during this visit that Cocteau finished his first book, Le Potomark.   In 1917, he met Pablo Picasso. Cocteau and Picasso went to Rome where they met up with Diaghilev.  At this point, Cocteau helped prepare the ballet Parade.  Picasso designed the sets, Erik Satie wrote the music, and the ballet was choreographed by Leonide Massine.  In 1918, Cocteau formed an intimate friendship with a 15 year old novelist, Raymond Radiguet. Radiguet strongly influenced Cocteau's art and life. The young writer would die form typhoid fever in 1923. His death was a severe blow to Cocteau and drove him to use opium.  During Cocteau's recovery form his opium addiction, the artist created some of his most important works including the stage play Orphee, the novel, Les Enfants Terribles, and many long poems.   During the next 15 years the artist's work lapsed.  One reason for this was his recurring addiction to opium.  His return to work in the early 1940's was primarily due to the influence of his close friend, actor Jean Marais.  In 1945, Cocteau directed his adaptation of La Belle et la Bete (Beauty and the Beast).  The film marked a triumphant return of Cocteau to the screen. Marais starred in the film as the Beast, Beauty's suitor, and the Prince.  In the late 1940's, Cocteau adapted two of his plays to film; The Eagle with Two Heads and The Storm Within.  In 1950, Cocteau directed the film Orpheus which again stared Marais. This time the theme evolves around a poet beset by artistic and romantic rivals. When his wife dies, Orpheus descends to Hell to rescue he. In Hell, Orpheus' fate is determined before a tribunal.  Also in 1950, Cocteau used his artists' eye to decorate the Villa Santo Sospi in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferat and begin a series of graphic works.  In 1954, on the death of his fiend Collette, the novelist, Cocteau took he place in the Belgian Academy.  In 1955, he was elected to the French Academy.  In 1959, Cocteau made his last film as a director, The Testament of Orpheus.  The elaborate home movie stars Cocteau and also features cameos from many celebrities including Pablo Picasso, Yul Brynner and Jean-Pierre Leraud.  The artist died of a heat attack at age 74 at his chateau in Milly-la-Foret on October 11, 1963 after hearing the news of the death of Edith Piaf. 

untitled
1958
original chalk & pencil drawing
62.2 x 49.5
POA
SOLD