Hans Bellmer

(German, 1902–1975)

Hans Bellmer was a German Surrealist artist known for his life-size dolls and erotic photography. His earliest dolls—perversions of the female form with legs growing out of legs—were created out of a desire to oppose the Nazi Regime’s goal of so-called physical perfection. “The female body is like an endless sentence that invites us to rearrange it,” the artist once observed, “so that its real meaning becomes clear through a series of endless anagrams.” He was born on March 13, 1902 in Kattowitz, Germany, in what is now Poland. Once he received the label of degenerate artist, Bellmer fled his home country and moved to Paris, where his challenging work was embraced by members of the Surrealist movement, especially André Breton. After the war, the artist moved into other media, including sexually explicit photography and paintings that explored fetishism through dream-like imagery. He notably collaborated with the artist Unica Zürn on the photographic series Unica Tied Up, featuring close-up images of flesh bulging around tight rope binding in an investigation of sadomasochistic practices. Bellmer died on February 23, 1975 in Paris, France at the age of 72.

Hans Bellmer Artworks

Hans Bellmer (2,867 results)
Les Bayes Rayes, 1974

Hans Bellmer

Les Bayes Rayes, 1974

Sale Date: November 19, 2017

Auction Closed

Figure, 1955

Hans Bellmer

Figure, 1955

Sale Date: November 22, 2017

Auction Closed

La Poupée, 1934

Hans Bellmer

La Poupée, 1934

Sale Date: November 10, 2017

Auction Closed

Les Jeux de la Poupée, 1937

Hans Bellmer

Les Jeux de la Poupée, 1937

Sale Date: November 10, 2017

Auction Closed

La Poupée, 1934

Hans Bellmer

La Poupée, 1934

Sale Date: November 10, 2017

Auction Closed

Les Jeux de la Poupée, 1937

Hans Bellmer

Les Jeux de la Poupée, 1937

Sale Date: November 10, 2017

Auction Closed

COMPOSITION, 1961

Hans Bellmer

COMPOSITION, 1961

Sale Date: October 22, 2017

Auction Closed

Portrait de Tristan Tzara, 1949

Hans Bellmer

Portrait de Tristan Tzara, 1949

Sale Date: October 19, 2017

Auction Closed

La Poupée enceinte, 1937

Hans Bellmer

La Poupée enceinte, 1937

Sale Date: October 19, 2017

Auction Closed

Group of prints (5), 1965

Hans Bellmer

Group of prints (5), 1965

Sale Date: October 22, 2017

Auction Closed

Senza titolo

Hans Bellmer

Senza titolo

Sale Date: October 17, 2017

Auction Closed

Le squelette et l'ombre de la poupée, 1934–1936

Hans Bellmer

Le squelette et l'ombre de la poupée, 1934–1936

Sale Date: October 12, 2017

Auction Closed

无题, 1960

Hans Bellmer

无题, 1960

Sale Date: September 29, 2017

Auction Closed

地下13号 Underground, 1965

Hans Bellmer

地下13号 Underground, 1965

Sale Date: September 29, 2017

Auction Closed

Mappe (portfolio of 3, various sizes)

Hans Bellmer

Mappe (portfolio of 3, various sizes)

Sale Date: September 29, 2017

Auction Closed

Petit Traité de Morale, 1968

Hans Bellmer

Petit Traité de Morale, 1968

Sale Date: September 29, 2017

Auction Closed

Untitled

Hans Bellmer

Untitled

Sale Date: September 26, 2017

Auction Closed

Visage et Chat (not in Mandiargues), 1960

Hans Bellmer

Visage et Chat (not in Mandiargues), 1960

Sale Date: September 26, 2017

Auction Closed

La petite fille sur canape noir, 1965

Hans Bellmer

La petite fille sur canape noir, 1965

Sale Date: September 13, 2017

Auction Closed

Scène érotique, 1969

Hans Bellmer

Scène érotique, 1969

Sale Date: June 7, 2017

Auction Closed

Nu étendu, 1969

Hans Bellmer

Nu étendu, 1969

Sale Date: June 7, 2017

Auction Closed

Die Tigerin (bk by Walter Xerner w/1 work on , 1925

Hans Bellmer

Die Tigerin (bk by Walter Xerner w/1 work on , 1925

Sale Date: June 3, 2017

Auction Closed

Les Mystères du Confessional (bk w/9 works), 1973

Hans Bellmer

Les Mystères du Confessional (bk w/9 works), 1973

Sale Date: June 3, 2017

Auction Closed

Petit traité de morale, 1968

Hans Bellmer

Petit traité de morale, 1968

Sale Date: July 13, 2017

Auction Closed