Jean Cocteau

Jean Cocteau (born July 5, 1889, Maisons-Laffitte, near Paris France - died October 11, 1963, Milly-la-Foret, near Paris) was a French poet, playwright and film director. 

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He was one of the foremost artists to surrealist, avant-garde, Dadaist movements and an influential figure in early 20th Century art. 

Jean Cocteau worked across almost every artistic discipline, exploring writing, painting and drawing, theatre and film, linking disparate forms of art making in explorations of myth, contemporary life, dream and sexual identity. 

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He drew from many influences, filtering the world around him through his personal sensibility and life experiences. Cocteau valued collaboration and his receptivity to the ideas of others is evident throughout his body of work, which broke new ground in creating links between different styles, media and periods.