Hans Bellmer

1902-1975
The Doll
cc1936

Hand-coloured black and white photograph on paper
238 x 240 mm
Presented by Tate Members 2003 T11781

The German surrealist Hans Bellmer built his first doll in 1933-4. This was an articulated construction which represented a young girl. Subversive, erotic and fetishistic, it became one of the most notorious works of the Surrealist movement. In 1935 Bellmer made a second doll sculpture. This incorporated a number of interchangeable elements, including three pelvises, four breasts and a spherical stomach that functioned as a ball joint. Bellmer photographed it in over a hundred different scenarios, exploring its multiple possibilities. Many of these photographs are delicately hand-coloured. Here the pose recalls a famous image from Goya's prints The Disasters of War.