THE WALL - JEAN COCTEAU

While he had a way with words, Cocteau’s unique artistic aesthetic and hand, captivated many. A major figure of the Dada and Surrealism movements, Cocteau made himself right at home amongst the avant-garde, as he maintained long-term friendships with artists such as Pablo Picasso, Tristan Tzara, Francis Picabia, and Man Ray. Self-taught, Cocteau would frequently draw his friends and acquaintances in a very particular, fluid style that was reflective of his interests. His fascination with dreams and figures, as well as influences from other artists and creators he surrounded himself with, all contributed to the development of his particular style.

Conceived from Jean Cocteau’s original works across various mediums, Lelièvre is proud to present this collection of wallpapers that pay tribute to his talent, and through this collection, hope to share his unique and imaginative universe with the interior design community and beyond. Immerse yourself into the creative world of Jean Cocteau…

JOYAUX
An all-over motif conceived as a fantastic and mysterious cabinet of curiosities! Eleven of the most iconic jewels made by Cocteau can be found illustrated within Joyaux. Brooches and jewels in signature Cocteau form, are scattered throughout the wallpaper, each given their own moment to shine.

EMAIL
A motif inspired by Jean Cocteau’s original work “L’Esprit Mineral” in 1962, which featured a neutral yet multicolored, mirrored, geometric face on the center of a clay plate. These geometric shapes are transferred to wallpaper and repeated, offering an incredibly intriguing design in neutral colorways.

CAP D’AIL
This design is based on Jean Cocteau’s famous “Cap d’Ail” ceramics, made in 1963. Greek-inspired in the manner of the Cap d’Ail open-air theatre, the design symbolizes the fusion of sky and earth, on a background of multicolored leaves. Printed using a rotogravure on a non-woven background, results in a finished satin effect.

POTERIES
A large illusion motif featuring a selection of ceramics and pottery typical to the work of Jean Cocteau. All of the works represented in this design form part of the estimated 300 pieces created by Jean Cocteau at the “Medaline-Jolly” pottery workshop in Villefranche-sur-Mer from the end of 1957 until 1963. The two colorways offered of this wallpaper show various works, adding an extra element of intrigue!

ECRITURE
An all-over motif that incorporates Jean Cocteau’s most famous original works “Ecriture, Dessin, Peinture, and Langage” from 1959, and brings together all the facets of his talent. The artist, poet and painter said “Poets do not draw. They undo writing and then redo it another way.”

LES DORMEURS
A composition of several drawings of sleepers, including French novelist and poet, Raymond Radiguet in 1922, encompasses Les Dormeurs. This all-over motif is printed as a monochrome toile de Jouy. The toile de Jouy represents traditional everyday scenes, specifically, “Les Dormeurs” which suggests a languorous daily life of which Jean Cocteau was adept. He always said “dreams are the literature of sleep.”

FIGURE D’ANGE
A fresh and delicate, all-over motif that is very representative of Jean Cocteau’s work. He frequently evoked the need to attribute a human face to the absolute power, particularly through the use of angelic representations, and Figure d’Ange exemplifies that need. Slight relief along the line of the angel component in the motif, contrasts with an elegant glittery light throughout the small background pattern, adding a little extra magic!

UNION
Union is an all-over motif inspired by the design on the “Jeunesse Franco-Allemande” ceramic platter made by Jean Cocteau in 1963. Printed traditionally on non-woven media with a matte finish, the relief effects of the wallpaper are reminiscent of the thick enamel spaces portrayed in the original works.

RESSEMBLANCE
A light and refined all-over motif, like a faux-unicolor, inspired by the original work “Tous les visages qu’il aime se ressemblent” from 1935. A pencil illustration for an edition of his novel, this line drawing of faces is ever present in Cocteau’s work, because according to him “pour exprimer son âme, on n’a que son visage” which translates to, “to express your soul, you only have your face.”

TÊTE À TÊTE
A motif inspired by the work “Double visage d’ange,” which is a drawing on paper, in India ink. Here, Jean Cocteau explored what he called “graphic poetry.” The elegance of this design is highlighted in silkscreen by a simple black line flocked on a satin non-woven backing. Those who view this motif are free to interpret the facial existence however they wish, as the design leaves just enough to the imagination.

MILLY LA FORÊT
Milly La Forêt is a design that recalls the sumptuous plant décor of the walls of the Saint-Blaise des Simples Chapel in Milly la Forêt painted by none other than Jean Cocteau. Paying tribute to Saint-Blaise, a famous healer who used medicinal plants, Cocteau painted beautiful flowering stems like a giant herbarium onto the walls of the chapel, raising up towards the sky! With respect to the remarkable scale of these flowers, Lelièvre has translated this concept into an enchanting wallpaper that can reach into infinity as a panoramic, matte finish motif.