Nusch Éluard (born Maria Benz; 21 June 1906 – 28 November 1946) was a French performer,

model A model is an informative representation of an object, person, or system. The term originally denoted the plans of a building in late 16th-century English, and derived via French and Italian ultimately from Latin , . Models can be divided in ...

and surrealist artist. Born Maria Benz in

Mulhouse Mulhouse (; ; Alsatian language, Alsatian: ''Mìlhüsa'' ; , meaning "Mill (grinding), mill house") is a France, French city of the European Collectivity of Alsace (Haut-Rhin department, in the Grand Est region of France). It is near the Fran ...

(then part of the

German Empire The German Empire (),; ; World Book, Inc. ''The World Book dictionary, Volume 1''. World Book, Inc., 2003. p. 572. States that Deutsches Reich translates as "German Realm" and was a former official name of Germany. also referred to as Imperia ...

), she met Swiss architect and artist Max Bill in the Odeon Café in

Zürich Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...

; he nicknamed her "Nusch", a name she would stick to. Their liaison ended after six months when Max Bill's plan to marry her in order to avoid her pending extradition from Switzerland was vetoed by his father (to whom he owed a substantial amount of money due to medical expenses following an accident which had forced him to leave the Bauhaus).

Paris

Nusch arrived in France as a stage performer, variously described as a small-time actress, a traveling acrobat, and a "hypnotist's stooge". She met Paul Éluard in 1934 working as a model, married him four months later, produced surrealist photomontage and other work, and is the subject of "Facile," a collection of Éluard's poetry published as a photogravure book, illustrated with

Man Ray Man Ray (born Emmanuel Radnitzky; August 27, 1890 – November 18, 1976) was an American naturalized French visual artist who spent most of his career in Paris. He was a significant contributor to the Dada and Surrealism, Surrealist movements, ...

's nude photographs of her. She was also the subject of several cubist portraits and sketches by

Pablo Picasso Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, Ceramic art, ceramicist, and Scenic ...

in the late 1930s, and is said to have had an affair with him. Nusch worked for the

French Resistance The French Resistance ( ) was a collection of groups that fought the German military administration in occupied France during World War II, Nazi occupation and the Collaboration with Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy#France, collaborationist Vic ...

during the Nazi occupation of France during World War II. She died in 1946 in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

due to a stroke.

Photographs and paintings

* Dora Maar:
"Les années vous guettent" The years await you (Nusch Éluard)
', 1932 * Man Ray:
Nusch Éluard
', 1934 * Man Ray, Paul Éluard:
Facile
', 1935

* Man Ray:
Nusch Éluard
', 1936 * Man Ray:
Sonia Mossé & Nusch Éluard
', 1936 * Man Ray:
Lee Miller & Nusch Éluard
', 1930s * Man Ray:
Ady & Nusch Éluard
', 1937
/ref> * Man Ray:
Ady Fidelin & Nusch Éluard
', 1937 * Man Ray:
Adrienne Fidelin & Nusch Éluard
', 1937 * Pablo Picasso:

', Charcoal & pencil on canvas, 1938

References

External links

Nusch, portrait d'une muse du Surréalisme
ARTELITTERA,¨PARIS, mars 2010 {{DEFAULTSORT:Eluard, Nusch 1906 births 1946 deaths Actors from Mulhouse French artists' models French surrealist artists French women surrealist artists Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery