Eluard, Nusch (1906–1946)

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Eluard, Nusch (1906–1946)

German artist, model, and author. Born Maria Benz, 1906 in Alsace, Mulhouse, France (then annexed by Germany as Mülhausen); died 1946 in Paris; m. Paul Eluard (Surrealist painter), 1934.

Began career as an actress, choosing Nusch as a stage name; moving to Paris (1920), met husband (1930), while working as a model for postcards and serving as a walk-on at the Théâtre Grand Guignol; modeled for Man Ray and Pablo Picasso and created a series of Surrealist photomontages, essentially using the female nude (her collages were published by Editions Nadada, 1978); during WWII, joined the Resistance with husband.