Eclectic, rich and diverse, this sale includes ancient books, rare paintings by Jean Cocteau from Edouard Dermit’s Estate and a fine set of illustrated works by Salvador Dalí. Further highlights include a collection centered around Marcel Proust, Robert de Montesquiou and Jean Lorrain, as well as a rare handwritten copy of a poem by Ronsard, and a previously unknown manuscript by Tallemant des Réaux.
"I started painting because I was tired of ink and because I needed a change of vehicle, to find other ways to get rid of what was weighing me down. I began to paint because I had discovered that the act of painting takes us out of ourselves to the point of anaesthetizing us, of making us insensitive to anything that is not the painting."
The sale of nine works by the artist, four oils on canvas and five mixed media on card is an important event for Jean Cocteau collectors, whether they be booklovers or those passionate about the artist's drawings and paintings.
His first oil paintings were of biblical or mythological subjects as shown by the four oils presented here.
They are as exceptional for their provenance as for their rarity and size.
