Bellmer studied under George Grosz in Berlin and by the early thirties had adopted his surrealist style depicting bizarre images involving young female nudes. Denounced by the Nazis as a degenerate, he fled to Paris in 1935 and became a member of the Surrealist group there ( with Arp, Ernst, Duchamp, Man Ray). He made his famous poupées (dolls), articulated female figurines, which defined his work from then on. They were photographed by himself and Man Ray and he employed his superb draughtsmanship in depicting them in paintings, drawings, etchings and engravings. The erotic undertones of his work scandalised many but made him a favourite of the Surrealists.