COCTEAU JEAN (1889-1963).
The Mystery of Jean l'Oiseleur. Self-Portrait No. 12. [1924].
Original Indian ink drawing with blue craton highlights, numbered in red pencil, with autograph MANUSCRIT. 25.7 x 19.8 cm on view (framed).
Around his self-portrait, front view, Cocteau inscribed this comment: "The disorder of a well-made mind leads it to the desperate need to put itself in order. Natural order does not touch me; it is academism. That is the difference between academism and classicism.
The project of the Mystery of John the Baptist was born in October 1924 in Villefranche-sur-mer. In his room at the Hôtel Welcome, Cocteau "has no one to talk to but himself. From the table in front of which he sits, he sees himself in the mirror of his wardrobe [...] The 31 self-portraits to which he adds a few sentences or snippets of text are among his treasures. The 31 self-portraits to which he adds a few sentences or snippets of text are among his treasures. The surety and simplicity of the line, the acuity of the detail, the relevance and sincerity of the subject [...] By mixing writing and drawing, which is "a writing unraveled and rewoven in a different way", Cocteau offers the publisher Édouard Champion one of his most beautiful poetic works: Le Mystère de Jean l'Oiseleur. [...] The title intrigues. A bird-catcher catches birds with a net. Does Cocteau capture the thoughts that come to his mind to squeeze them into a page? (Dominique Marny).
These 31 self-portraits by Jean Cocteau are "plunging views into his soul" (Pierre Bergé). Le Mystère de Jean l'Oiseleur will be published in 1925 by Édouard Champion in the form of a phototype of the manuscript made by Daniel Jacomet and printed in 142 copies.
Reproduced in the Album Cocteau (Pléiade, p. 159); Dominique Marny, Jean Cocteau, archéologue de sa nuit (Textuel, 2010, pp. 72-77).
EXHIBITIONS Jean Cocteau, Staatliche Kunsthalle, Baden-Baden, 1989, no. 234; Jean Cocteau, Musée d'Ixelles, Brussels, 1991; Jean Cocteau, Centre Pompidou, Paris, 2003-2004; Jean Cocteau, sur les pas d'un magicien, Palais Lumière, Évian, 2010.
PROVENANCE Collection Liliane et Étienne de Saint-Georges, Brussels; Sotheby's Paris sale, 24 November 2010, no. 200
We use cookies to provide you with a better browsing experience, perform site traffic analysis, and deliver content and advertisements most relevant to your interests.
Cookie management:
By allowing these cookies, you agree to the deposit, reading and use of tracking technologies necessary for their proper functioning. Read more about our privacy policy.