Die Puppe (The Doll) - Hans Bellmer 1934 ★ Doll descending a staircase (1) ★ 3D software reenactment H.Hoogerbrugge 2020 ★ In often violently erotic photographs and drawings, Hans Bellmer developed the Surrealist theme of mannequins and dolls as metaphors of sexuality with a singularly obsessive focus. He explored the usually pubescent female figure as fetish object. Bellmer's series Die Puppe (The Doll), debuted in the 1934 issue of the Surrealist publication Le Minotaure, and the photographs were described as "variations on the assemblage of an articulated minor." The doll consisted of a wood-and-metal skeleton covered with a realistic body of plaster and papier mâché; a system of ball-joints allowed it to be shaped into endless disturbing configurations, appearing dismembered and monstrous.