this week's obsession

Woman Panther, 1938

Portrait automatique de lʼautomate dʼAlbert-le-Grand (Automatic Portrait of the Automaton of Albertus Magnus), 1938

Initiation préliminaire aux arcanes de la forêt, 1936

C'est qu'elle sait être plus jolie encore la machine infernale, 1936

georges hugnet, portrait by dora maar

georges hugnet 1906-1974

hugnet was a poet, editor, artist & film director active in the dada & surrealist movements. born in paris in 1906, he spent part of his childhood in buenos aires, argentina until moving back to paris in 1913. in 1920 he started a friendship with his neighbor marcel jouhandeau who introduced him to his hero max jacob. he also befriended many other influential artists during that time including joan miró, marcel duchamp, pablo picasso, tristan tzara, man ray, gertrude stein & jean cocteau, most of whom he collaborated with.

in the 1930s he became involved with the surrealist movement when andré breton became interested in his work after reading and article titled "spirit of dada in painting". he was "excommunicated" by breton when he failed to end his friendship with the former surrealist paul éluard.

in the 1940s he joined the french resistance and published non vouloir, one of the first resistance pieces published in france. in 1940 he married germaine pied; their marriage would last 10 years. in 1950, at the age of 44, he married 17 year old myrtille hubert. they had a son the following year, nicholas hugnet.

he concentrated on trading & collecting rare books and manuscripts until his death in 1974.