Valentine Hugo is best known for her work with the Russian ballet and with the French Surrealists.
16 Facts About Valentine Hugo
2.
Valentine Hugo received schooling in Boulogne-sur-Mer, where she received multiple awards for accomplishments in drawing, until 1907, at which time she entered the L'Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris.
3.
In 1908, Valentine Hugo met the artist Edmond Aman-Jean, who painted her portrait in 1909 and encouraged Hugo's artistic pursuits.
4.
Valentine Hugo would collaborate with him on ballet designs including Les maries de la tour Eiffel, and in 1926 she executed 24 wood engravings after maquettes by Jean Hugo for Jean Cocteau's production of Romeo et Juliette.
5.
Valentine Hugo often drew sketches of the ballets' choreography, and had a particular fascination with dancer and choreographer Vaslav Nijinsky.
6.
Valentine Hugo worked on several other of Satie's ballets, including Le Piege de Meduse, Socrate, and Mercure.
7.
Valentine Hugo hosted salons with many artists, writers, and musicians in Paris, including avant-garde leaders such as Pablo Picasso, Andre Breton, and Paul Eluard.
8.
Valentine Hugo met Breton in 1917, before the start of Surrealism, at one of Cocteau's readings.
9.
Valentine Hugo moved into the same building as Eluard and Breton in May 1932.
10.
Valentine Hugo joined the Bureau of Surrealist Research and created the Objet a fonctionnement symbolique, which was shown during the Exposition surrealistic in 1933.
11.
Valentine Hugo took part in other exhibitions throughout her time with the group, including an exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art in 1936.
12.
Valentine Hugo participated in the exquisite corpse game practiced by the Surrealists, collaborating on drawings with Breton, Eluard, and many others.
13.
Valentine Hugo introduced new mediums to the practice, as the drawings she participated in used gouache on black paper.
14.
In 1943, Valentine Hugo's work was included in Peggy Guggenheim's show Exhibition by 31 Women at the Art of This Century gallery in New York.
15.
Valentine Hugo died on 16 March 1968, the date of her 81st birthday.
16.
Valentine Hugo was primarily known for her drawings, where a fine line against a dark background created and abundance of decorative volutes and superimposed elements.