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

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Hans Bellmer Artworks

Artworks for Sale &
Auction Results

Hans Bellmer (2,867 results)
Portrait de femme, 1942–1945

Hans Bellmer

Portrait de femme, 1942–1945

Sale Date: November 1, 2023

Auction Closed

Souterrain No. 13, 1965

Hans Bellmer

Souterrain No. 13, 1965

Sale Date: October 31, 2023

Auction Closed

La Toupie, 1938

Hans Bellmer

La Toupie, 1938

Sale Date: November 16, 2023

Auction Closed

La poupée, 1936

Hans Bellmer

La poupée, 1936

Sale Date: November 9, 2023

Auction Closed

VIII from Les Marionnettes, 1969

Hans Bellmer

VIII from Les Marionnettes, 1969

Sale Date: October 20, 2023

Auction Closed

Les mystères du confessionnal [Monseigneur..., 1973

Hans Bellmer

Les mystères du confessionnal [Monseigneur..., 1973

Sale Date: October 14, 2023

Auction Closed

Sur canapé, 1966

Hans Bellmer

Sur canapé, 1966

Sale Date: October 3, 2023

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1946

Hans Bellmer

Untitled, 1946

Sale Date: October 4, 2023

Auction Closed

Untitled, 1946

Hans Bellmer

Untitled, 1946

Sale Date: October 4, 2023

Auction Closed

Les Jeux de la Poupée VII, 1939

Hans Bellmer

Les Jeux de la Poupée VII, 1939

Sale Date: October 19, 2023

Auction Closed

La Poupee, 1938, 1938

Hans Bellmer

La Poupee, 1938, 1938

Sale Date: October 4, 2023

Auction Closed

(1) FEMME / WOMAN (2) GEDANKEN / THOUGHTS, 1960

Hans Bellmer

(1) FEMME / WOMAN (2) GEDANKEN / THOUGHTS, 1960

Sale Date: September 30, 2023

Auction Closed

Unterweisungen der Sexualität, Vol I und II, 1974

Hans Bellmer

Unterweisungen der Sexualität, Vol I und II, 1974

Sale Date: February 22, 2023

Auction Closed

MADAME EDWARDA, 1965

Hans Bellmer

MADAME EDWARDA, 1965

Sale Date: July 14, 2023

Auction Closed

4 Radierungen, 1968–1971

Hans Bellmer

4 Radierungen, 1968–1971

Sale Date: June 23, 2023

Auction Closed

Sans titre, 1953

Hans Bellmer

Sans titre, 1953

Sale Date: June 30, 2023

Auction Closed

Les mains immobiles, 1971

Hans Bellmer

Les mains immobiles, 1971

Sale Date: June 20, 2023

Auction Closed

Hans Bellmer Photographies (Images from , 1930–1939

Hans Bellmer

Hans Bellmer Photographies (Images from , 1930–1939

Sale Date: June 14, 2023

Auction Closed

Les jeux de la poupée, c. 1936, 1936

Hans Bellmer

Les jeux de la poupée, c. 1936, 1936

Sale Date: May 23, 2023

Auction Closed

“Les Anagrammes du Corps”, 1973

Hans Bellmer

“Les Anagrammes du Corps”, 1973

Sale Date: May 23, 2023

Auction Closed

Die Puppe. Erinnerungen zum Thema Puppe, 1934

Hans Bellmer

Die Puppe. Erinnerungen zum Thema Puppe, 1934

Sale Date: June 6, 2023

Auction Closed

Sur canapé, 1966

Hans Bellmer

Sur canapé, 1966

Sale Date: May 16, 2023

Auction Closed

Self-portrait with blue eye, 1971

Hans Bellmer

Self-portrait with blue eye, 1971

Sale Date: May 17, 2023

Auction Closed

Kopf mit schwan, 1966

Hans Bellmer

Kopf mit schwan, 1966

Sale Date: May 11, 2023

Auction Closed

English (US)

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