JEAN COCTEAU ET SA MYTHOLOGIE

An MACM exhibition in collaboration with the Musée Jean Cocteau collection Séverin Wunderman & the town of Menton
from 11 September 2020 to 24 January 2021 extended to 27th June 2021

French artist, poet, librettist, novelist, film director, actor; a dandy… the multiplicity of Jean Cocteau’s talents is extraordinary.

His passion for mythology is present & celebrated on the Côte d'Azur with his frescoes in Menton, Villefranche, Saint-Jean Cap Ferrat & Cap d'ail.
The MACM is delighted to announce the forthcoming exhibition, which will place the eloquence of myths & the creativity with which Jean Cocteau interpreted them, at the heart of Christian Levett's collection from 11th September to 14th March 2021.

The common thread running through the protean work of Jean Cocteau is clearly his personal interpretation of myths.
Inspired since the 1920’s by the great myths from Antiquity, the poet developed his own resolutely modern mythology against a backdrop of Greek tragedy.

Through his work, Cocteau attests to the timelessness of mythology by transposing into the contemporary world characters such as Antigone, Oedipus or, the one often referred to as his alter ego, Orpheus.

Cocteau appropriated certain mythological creatures making them an integral part of his fantastic bestiary. 
These hybrid figures relate to Cocteau’s two main mythological referents: fauns & unicorns come from the world of Orpheus; the sphinx, meanwhile, is Oedipal.

“Jean Cocteau & Sa Mythologie” is an invitation into the Coctalian world of myths & mysteries. From his hybrid unicorns to the dreamlike universe of Orpheus & his dark depictions of Oedipus & his daughter Antigone, Jean Cocteau’s graphic & poetic style is celebrated with a selection of drawings, photographs & ceramics.

This exhibition at the Mougins Museum (MACM) is made possible thanks to the kind collaboration & loans of the Jean Cocteau museum collection Séverin Wunderman & the town of Menton.

All the works on display come from their collection & the MACM is extremely grateful for their generosity & trust that have enabled the exhibition “Jean Cocteau & Sa Mythologie” 11 September 2020 to 27th June 2021

Click here to download the exhibition press pack