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 News

On View

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Art Fairs

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Art World

Will Erotic Art Museum's 'Depraved' Collection Head to Germany?

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Hans Bellmer Artworks

Artworks for Sale &
Auction Results

Hans Bellmer (2,867 results)
3 Kupferstiche auf Japan

Hans Bellmer

3 Kupferstiche auf Japan

Sale Date: June 17, 2016

Auction Closed

Composition, 1961

Hans Bellmer

Composition, 1961

Sale Date: June 15, 2016

Auction Closed

Untitled - Woman with Table and Bowl, 1965

Hans Bellmer

Untitled - Woman with Table and Bowl, 1965

Sale Date: June 16, 2016

Auction Closed

Mode d'emploi (7 works), 1967

Hans Bellmer

Mode d'emploi (7 works), 1967

Sale Date: June 15, 2016

Auction Closed

Femme au squelette, 1958–1959

Hans Bellmer

Femme au squelette, 1958–1959

Sale Date: June 23, 2016

Auction Closed

Alain Jouffroy - Les Anagrammes du Corps, 1973

Hans Bellmer

Alain Jouffroy - Les Anagrammes du Corps, 1973

Sale Date: June 8, 2016

Auction Closed

Portrait du Commandant Coudène, 1940

Hans Bellmer

Portrait du Commandant Coudène, 1940

Sale Date: June 24, 2016

Auction Closed

La toupie, 1956

Hans Bellmer

La toupie, 1956

Sale Date: June 24, 2016

Auction Closed

PORTRAIT DE JEUNE FILLE, 1945

Hans Bellmer

PORTRAIT DE JEUNE FILLE, 1945

Sale Date: June 7, 2016

Auction Closed

Double portrait of a young woman

Hans Bellmer

Double portrait of a young woman

Sale Date: June 24, 2016

Auction Closed

La Poupée (The Doll), Editions G.L.M., Paris , 1936

Hans Bellmer

La Poupée (The Doll), Editions G.L.M., Paris , 1936

Sale Date: June 10, 2016

Auction Closed

Petit traité de morale (1968)(protfolio w/..., 1968

Hans Bellmer

Petit traité de morale (1968)(protfolio w/..., 1968

Sale Date: May 21, 2016

Auction Closed

DEUX FEMMES ALLONGÉES

Hans Bellmer

DEUX FEMMES ALLONGÉES

Sale Date: June 1, 2016

Auction Closed

LE CRI

Hans Bellmer

LE CRI

Sale Date: June 1, 2016

Auction Closed

Sans titre, 1960–1961

Hans Bellmer

Sans titre, 1960–1961

Sale Date: May 13, 2016

Auction Closed

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

Hans Bellmer

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

Sale Date: May 3, 2016

Auction Closed

LES MARIONNETTES (bk by Heinrich von Kleist w/11

Hans Bellmer

LES MARIONNETTES (bk by Heinrich von Kleist w/11

Sale Date: April 26, 2016

Auction Closed

MADAME EDWARDA (bk by Georges Bataille w/12..., 1955

Hans Bellmer

MADAME EDWARDA (bk by Georges Bataille w/12..., 1955

Sale Date: April 26, 2016

Auction Closed

PETITE ANATOMIE DE L’INCONSCIENT PHYSIQUE OU , 1957

Hans Bellmer

PETITE ANATOMIE DE L’INCONSCIENT PHYSIQUE OU , 1957

Sale Date: April 26, 2016

Auction Closed

JULES CÉSAR (bk by Joyce Mansour w/5 works), 1957

Hans Bellmer

JULES CÉSAR (bk by Joyce Mansour w/5 works), 1957

Sale Date: April 26, 2016

Auction Closed

LES JEUX DE LA POUPÉE (bk by Paul Eluard w/15...

Hans Bellmer

LES JEUX DE LA POUPÉE (bk by Paul Eluard w/15...

Sale Date: April 26, 2016

Auction Closed

LES JEUX DE LA POUPÉE (bk by Paul Eluard..., 1949

Hans Bellmer

LES JEUX DE LA POUPÉE (bk by Paul Eluard..., 1949

Sale Date: April 26, 2016

Auction Closed

DESSIN ORIGINAL, 1939

Hans Bellmer

DESSIN ORIGINAL, 1939

Sale Date: April 26, 2016

Auction Closed

ŒILLADES CISELÉES EN BRANCHES (bk by Georges , 1942

Hans Bellmer

ŒILLADES CISELÉES EN BRANCHES (bk by Georges , 1942

Sale Date: April 26, 2016

Auction Closed

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