Jean Cocteau
Words by The Keeper and handkerchief by David Cabaret
Jean Cocteau is a sexual hero because he often included gay subtexts in his work during a time when society could have weaponised such ideas against him. A polymath artist who had affairs with men and women among his peers in the bohemian circles of 1920s Paris, Cocteau made full use of the exciting new tools of the avant-garde – symbolism, psychoanalysis and the dreamscape.
Along with the more lauded works of Cocteau, such as the 1929 novel Les Enfants Terrible and the 1950 movie Orpheus, he also produced several homoerotic artworks, including explicit illustrations for Jean Genet’s Querelle de Brest and semi-autographical tales in the controversial Le Livre Blanc – a coming-of-age story of a young man learning the art of gay love through voyeuristic encounters. Cocteau never signed the book, but he did provide illustrations for later editions.
This artwork is part of The Wall of Sexual Heroes, a collaborative textile art piece featured in our previous exhibitions at the Horse Hospital (2022) and Bow Arts Lab (2023). All embroidered, printed and appliquėd handkerchiefs celebrate unsung heroes of sexual emancipation, activism and innovation.
The Wall is an organic work. If you would like to contribute, please get in touch with The Keeper.
