DP MJCCSW 4.10_EN - copie - Maison de la France

More documents

Recommendations

Info

II. The museum’s collections Gift of 1,800 works Severin Wunderman’s donation consists of 1,800 works, including 990 works by Cocteau, offering a very comprehensive perspective on the artist’s career. All of its periods are represented, from the first self-‐portraits of the 1910s up to the “Mediterranean” period towards the end of his life, little known to the general public. The collection thus consists of drawings, prints, paintings, ceramics, tapestries, jewellery, books and manuscripts, but also 172 photographs relating to Cocteau (photographers represented include Germaine Krull, Berenice Abbott, Irving Penn, Philippe Halsman, Boris Lipnitzky, Serge Lido, Sacha Masour and Lucien Clergue), 278 works by Cocteau’s fellow artists (Picasso, Modigliani, Foujita, Di Chirico, among others) as well as an exceptional grouping of 360 works related to Sarah Bernhardt, in honour of whom Cocteau coined the expression “monstre sacré” (sacred monster). Apart from masterpieces representing the multiple facets of Jean Cocteau’s genius, the collection also sheds light on the man himself, thanks to a large number of portraits and tributes by his fellow artists. Together with the pre-‐existing collection of the museum at the Bastion, the new Musée Jean Cocteau thus houses more than 2,000 works, including 1,190 by Cocteau himself, and constitutes the largest publicly accessible collection in the world of works by the artist. A museum itinerary tracing the life of Jean Cocteau The museum’s permanent collection display, consisting of 250 works, leads visitors along a meandering journey through space and time, punctuated by glimpses of the personalities and milestones having had a major influence on Cocteau’s life and work. The rotating display of the permanent collection is organised in the form of seven sequences offering a chronological exploration of Cocteau’s life (1889–1963) structured around sets of major works. These sets are themselves connected to specific themes, reflecting the successive transformations in Cocteau’s career and encouraging visitors to dispense with the chronological order of the presentation in line with their specific interests: 1/ Miniature Theatre of the Imagination Through a dialogue between documents of the period and works of fiction, this first sequence highlights Cocteau’s youth and the environment in which he was raised, the background that forged his aesthetic outlook. The onset of the “mal rouge et or”, an affliction Germaine Krull Portrait of Cocteau 1929 Inv. No. 2005.1.1008 Black-‐and-‐white photograph musée Jean Cocteau collection Séverin Wunderman © Germaine Krull, Museum Folkwang, Essen brought on by red and gold, thus a passion for the magic of theatre, which would remain with Cocteau his entire life, is traced here to two mythic personalities: Sarah Bernhardt and Vaslav Nijinsky. 2/ The Imposter The Imposter, a sequence marked by the experience of the First World War, illustrates the emergence of fruitful interconnections between autobiography and mythography at this moment in Cocteau’s career. A number of major works, including Le Potomak and Thomas 8
l’Imposteur, were conceived during this period. 3/ Parades Parades focuses on a very prolific creative period, one in which Cocteau adopted a new graphic style. The presentation includes drawings, photographs and programs relating to the ballet Parade, its scenario conceived by Cocteau, with music by Satie and costumes and sets by Picasso, and the oft-‐cited revolt at its premiere, as well as works tied to his encounter with the prodigious Raymond Radiguet. 4/ Jean l’Oiseleur The period examined in this fourth sequence put an end to frivolity and indifference. Deeply moved by the death of his dear friend Raymond Radiguet, Cocteau created a tortuous poetic and formal universe, intimately linked to the realm of souls no longer among the living, as illustrated by the series of self-‐portraits entitled Le Mystère de Jean L’Oiseleur. The descent into opium gave rise to an increasingly expressionist graphic style, evidenced by the albums Maison de Santé and Opium. 5/ Blood of the Poet With Le Sang d’un Poète, Cocteau created his first medium-‐length film. His distinctive style underwent a transformation at this time, while his characters, often inspired by the heroes of antiquity, took on a tragic dimension through the black ink of the artist. This period is connected with Cocteau’s most renowned literary works, such as Les Enfants Terribles and La Machine Infernale (The Infernal Machine). 6/ Mysteries This sequence presents works produced in the aftermath of the Second World War in which the real and the imaginary merge. Marking the apex of his career and bringing together all the other conduits of his poetry, Cocteau’s filmed works embody this quest for an “unreal realism”, notably with La Belle et la Bête and Orphée. 7/ Testaments This final sequence addresses Cocteau’s last major critical successes, through which he ceaselessly questioned the place of the poet in society. The photographs taken by Lucien Clergue on the set of Le Testament d’Orphée bear witness to this pursuit. This sequence presents works of the artist’s “Mediterranean” period, characterised by the abrupt and dramatic interruption of colour and a substantial stylistic departure. The techniques and subjects explored by the artist at this time evince strong links with Picasso’s universe. Exploring Menton Museum visitors may extend their itinerary by having a look at the Bastion, redesigned by Cocteau between 1958 and 1963 to exhibit his own artworks. Presented here are the celebrated studies for the Innamorati, part of the decoration of the town hall’s wedding room, as well as the original ceramic objects created by the artist himself at the Atélier Madeline-‐Jolly. The town hall’s wedding room, its decoration the quintessential expression of Cocteau’s unique personality, is open to the public Monday to Friday, from 8.30 a.m to 12.30 p.m. and from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. 9
Page 1 and 2: Opens to the public on 6 November 2
Page 3 and 4: I. GENESIS OF THE PROJECT: A SERIES
Page 5 and 6: Committed to the preservation and p
Page 7: October 2009 Construction work begi
Page 11 and 12: Overview of the collection* Jean Co
Page 13 and 14: Jean Cocteau Le Jeune Aviateur (Rol
Page 15 and 16: PART II THE COLLECTION IN 10 VIEWS
Page 17 and 18: Artothèque de Bordeaux, Musée de
Page 19 and 20: V. THE ARCHITECTURAL PROJECT* Selec
Page 21 and 22: © Lisa Ricciotti “The truth is t
Page 23 and 24: © Lisa Ricciotti * All images are
Page 25 and 26: VI. VISITOR INFORMATION MUSEE JEAN

DP MJCCSW 4.10_EN - copie - Maison de la France

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?