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Article: Narcissus of modernism: a document-rich exhibition detailed the life of the mercurial Jean Cocteau, who helped shape visual, literary and dramatic arts in the 20th century.
- Article from:
- Art in America
- Article date:
- April 1, 2005
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2005 Brant Publications, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Jean Cocteau (1889-1963) was one of the most prolific figures of the early 20th-century European cultural vanguard. He left behind an enormous body of work that includes books, drawings, films, plays, choreography, and set and costume designs for ballets. As modernism's first media darling, he was photographed, drawn and painted by a roster of big talents; Picasso, Modigliani, Laurencin, Gleizes, Picabia, Rivera, Man Ray, Berenice Abbott, Irving Penn and Andy Warhol all affixed signatures to portraits of Cocteau. He turns up as young Octave at the beginning of Proust's Remembrance of Things Past, and even manages a brief but well-placed mention in the 1958 film version of ...