Hans Bellmer 
Introduction
Hans Bellmer was a leading figure of the Surrealist movement. He has explored restlessly the mystery of desire. In his close to mannerist drawings, in his often near abstract sketches or his sculptures, and specifically his dolls, a new, provocative, fetishist eroticism. He built back in 1933 an articulated Doll which would help to materialize innermost, hidden impulses, exploring like a cold blooded Marquis de Sade or Georges Bataille a whole universe of cruel beauty. The Doll was to be the basis of numerous works, from photography to drawings and etching.
Hans Bellmer : a few landmarks
Born in 1902 in Katowice, Hans Bellmer was trained at the Technische Hochschule in Berlin (1923-24), met with Grosz and during a trip to Paris (1924-25) met with Pascin and the members of the Surrealist movement. He maintained himself as an illustrator in advertisement (1926-1932), but the Doll – a dislocated model of a young girl, built during Hitler's rise to power - fuelled his art with fantasy, eroticism and passion. He eventually moved to Paris in 1938 and joined the Surrealist movement. Bellmer worked in several fields, including sculpture, photography and etching. He died in Paris in 1975. His works can been seen at the MOMA, New York; the MNAN, Paris, etc. His photographs were revealed to the general public thanks to an important exhibition at the MNAM, Paris in 1983. The Centre Pompidou has dedicated an important retrospective show to Bellmer in 2006.