Jean Cocteau

(b Maisons-Laffitte, France, 1889; d Milly-la-Foret, France, 1963) French painter. Jean Cocteau was one of the towering artistic talents of the early 20th Century. Renowned equally as a playwright, film-maker and a poet, he was also an accomplished artist and, in particular, a draughtsman with a distinct, hieratic style. Cocteau pursued interests in the theater before going to the front during World War I and serving as an ambulance driver, his experiences there greatly influencing his poetry writing. It was not until 1916 that Cocteau became involved with the modern art world where he met the painters and writers Pablo Picasso, Amedeo Modigliani, Max Jacobs, and Guillaume Apollinaire, respectively. He continued to work in all areas until his death. (Credit: Christie’s, London, Silver, Furniture and Works of Art from the Collection of H.R.H. The Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon, June 14, 2006, lot 466)