Nusch, born Maria Benz, was an omnipresent figure in the artistic and literary representation of French surrealism, through the photographs of Man Ray, Dora Maar, Lee Miller, the portraits of Pablo Picasso, René Magritte and Joan Miró, as well as the poems of Paul Eluard, whom she married. In the year in which the centenary of surrealism is being celebrated, this essay is the fruit of lengthy research, and publishes previously unpublished documents and photographic archives. It proposes a critical review of the authorship or co-authorship of these works, asking to whom these images belong today, as well as the status of the collective works of the avant-garde.
