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Hans Bellmer

"I think that different modes of expression are all born of the same law."

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Notes of biography

Hans Bellmer was born in 1902 in Katowice, Poland. At a very young age he works first as a steelworker, then in the coat mines; encouraging his friends in the revolution, he narrowly escapes from prison. In 1923, he attends classes at the Technical School in Berlin and meets the innovators of Dadaisme. George Grosz pushes him to paint and encourages him to take a critical look at society. Hans Bellmer illustrates books, paints and then uses photography. In 1925, he brings together the surrealists and participates in diverse exhibitions of the movement.
In 1933, Bellmer constructs a ‘Doll’, in pretence of a woman made from paper and glue, which he sculpts, paints and gives articulations. Bellmer produces a series of photographs in which the doll features. The doll poses in erotic positions, sadomasochistic, dramatic scenes, and very quickly, this “articulated little girl” in which Hans Bellmer imposes all sorts of metamorphosis, fascinates the surrealists. Photos of Bellmer are publishes in the revue “Minotaure”, the works of the artists accompany the group exhibitions. Paul Eluard will write later write in 1947 the poems “The Games of the Doll”.
Hans Bellmer takes refuge in France in 1938, fleeing Nazi occupation. In 1939 he joins the Maquis in the south of France, after having escaped the foreign camp in which he is interned. His first exhibition is organized in 1943. Bellmer paints and engraves as he expresses his fantasies in a collection of images in which bodies and sexes metamorphosize. He illustrates, with paintings and engravings, erotic works (Georges Bataille, Pauline Reage, Sade, etc.).
Hans Bellmer died in Paris in 1975.

Artists on display

The art and the artists display: proclamations, galleries, museums, personal or collective exhibitions. On walls or in shop windows, wise or rebels, posters warn, argue, show. Some were specially conceived by an artist for such or such event, other, colder, have only the letter.

Some were created in lithographic technic, most are simple offset reproductions. They are many those who like collecting these rectangles of paper, monochrome or in games of colours, in matt paper or brilliant, with many words or almost dumb.

We are happy also to be able to greet, by this pages, mythical galleries as those of Denise René, Louis Carré, Claude Bernard, Berheim Jeune, Maeght, Pierre Loeb and others.

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Complete work(s)

Complete work(s)
All the complete works

Bibliographic track and more

To read about the artist :
  • « Les dessins d'Hans Bellmer », Constantin Jelenski, Ed. Denoël, 1968
  • « Bellmer », n° spécial, Obliques, 1975
  • « Le trésor cruel de Hans Bellmer », A. P. de Mandiargues, La Différence, 1979
  • « Bellmer, dessins et sculptures », H. Jacovici et J. Revol, L’Autre Musée, 1983
  • « Hans Bellmer, Photographe », Centre G. Pompidou, Ed. Filipacchi, 1983
  • « Bellmer graveur », Musée de la Seita, 1997
  • « Bellmer: le principe de perversion », Pierre Dourthe, Ed. Jean-Pierre Faur, 2000
  • « Hans Bellmer: The Anatomy of Anxiety », Sue Taylor, Ed. Mit Press, 2002
  • « Hans Bellmer, Anatomie du désir », A. de La Beaumelle , cat d'expo, Ed. Gallimard, 2006
  • « Les jeux de la poupée », Paul Eluard, Ed. Dilecta Eds, 2015.
To read from the artist :
  • « La poupée », G.L.M., 1936
  • « Lettres au docteur Ferdiere », H. Bellmer et U. Zurn, Ed Seguier, 2003
Website :
www.artcyclopedia.com/artists/bellmer

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Art movements

+ PHOTOGRAPHY BETWEEN WARS / 1918-1939 / Robert Tatlin, Alexandre Rodchenko, etc.
+ SURREALISM / 1924-1969 / Marcel Duchamp, Dora Maar, Kurt Schwitters, Taro Okamoto, Antonio Berni, etc.
All art movements

See & discover

Beyond works currently in stock, it seemed to me useful to combine business with pleasure by letting you discover others works by artists in my gallery. These artworks, now sold or removed from our website, have been in our stock in the past.

These pages will undoubtedly make it possible for some of you to associate an image with its title or the other way round, for others it will be a good time to discover more on such and such artist. For the sake of confidentiality – the pieces being no longer available – we won't display neither their numbering or their price. For whatever reason, make sure to visit this amazing art database with to date 6441 online works just for your pleasure! Michelle Champetier

See & discover