Londres - Original China Ink Drawing by J. Cocteau - 1920 1920

Londres (Smoking in the Tub) is an original, rare and important realized by the great Surrealist artist Jean Cocteau in 1920. Realized for the book ''Dessins'' and published in the same volume, Edition Paris, Stock, 1923, p. 54. Signed ''Jean'' in brown ink on the lower right corner. Prov. Pecci-Blunt Collection, Paris. The original Pecci Blunt stamp is present on the lower left corner. The Pecci Blunt stamp is also present on the back of the artwork along with the invetory number of the collection. Very good conditions. Passepartout included (cm 34 x 49). Jean Cocteau (Yvelines, 1888 – Essonne, 1963) was a French painter, poet, designer, playwriter, and filmmaker. Cocteau is one of the most important figures of French Surrealism. He was born to a socially prominent Parisian family. His father George Cocteau was an amateur painter who committed suicide when Jean was only a child. He soon became famous in Bohemian circles as The Frivolous Prince. In 1912, he collaborated to the Ballets Russes. After World War I, Cocteau met the poet Guillaume Apollinaire and the artist Pablo Picasso. In 1917, thanks to Sergei Diaghilev, a Russian impresario, Cocteau wrote a scenario for the ballet “Parade”; the backscene of this important ballet was realized by Pablo Picasso and the music was composed by Erik Satie. He always denied being in any way connected to the movement. In the late 1920s, Cocteau wrote the libretto for Igor Stravinsky’s opera-oratorio Oedipus Rex. In 1918, he met the French poet Raymond Radiguet. They worked and went on many journeys together. Cocteau promoted his friend's works in his artistic group. Cocteau is well-known for his novel Les Enfants Terribles (1929) and the films The Blood of a Poet, Beauty and the Beast, and Orpheus. During World War II, he invented sets for the Théâtre de la Mode. In 1955, Cocteau was elected member of the Académie française and The Royal Academy of Belgium. He was commander of the Legion of Honor, Member of the Mallarmé Academy, German Academy (Berlin), and American Academy. This artwork is shipped from Italy. Under existing legislation, any artwork in Italy created over 70 years ago by an artist who has died requires a licence for export regardless of the work’s market price. The shipping may require additional handling days to require the licence according to the final destination of the artwork.