Claude Cahun

(French, 1894–1954)

Claude Cahun was a Surrealist photographer whose work explored gender identity and the subconscious mind. The artist’s self-portrait from 1928 epitomizes her attitude and style, as she stares defiantly at the camera in an outfit that looks neither conventionally masculine nor feminine. “Under this mask, another mask,” the artist famously said. “I will never be finished removing all these faces.” Born Lucy Schwob in Nantes, France on October 25, 1894 to a prominent Jewish family, she would later attend the University of Paris, Sorbonne. Her first recorded self-portraits are dated as early as 1912, when the artist was about 18. In the early 1920s, she would change her name to the gender neutral Claude Cahun, which would be the third and last time the artist changed her name. Along with step-sister and lover Marcel Moor, she moved to Paris and fell into the milieu of the Surrealist art scene. The artist went on to collaborate with Man Ray, as well as founding the left-wing group Contre Attaque alongside André Breton and Georges Bataille. In the late 1930s, Moore and Cahun moved to Jersey, an island off the coast of Normandy, where they, disguised as non-Jews, they produced and distributed anti-Nazi propaganda. After being caught, imprisoned, and sentenced to death, they successfully escaped such a fate when Jersey was liberated by allies in 1945. Cahun is considered to be a ground-breaking artist who fully embraced her gender fluidity long before the term came into use. Tragically, she never fully recovered from her maltreatment in prison and passed away on December 8, 1954 in Jersey, United Kingdom. Her work left a huge impression on photography and directly influenced contemporary photographers Cindy Sherman, Gillian Wearing, and Nan Goldin. Today, her works are held in the collections of The Museum of Modern Art in New York, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, among others.

Claude Cahun News

9 Powerful Couples Who Moved Beyond the Binary of Artist and Muse

9 Powerful Couples Who Moved Beyond the Binary of Artist and Muse

by Emily Steer
Freed From the Shackles of Copyright, These Dazzling Artworks From 1925 Are Finally in the Public Domain

Freed From the Shackles of Copyright, These Dazzling Artworks From 1925 Are Finally in the Public Domain

by Brian Boucher
Lonely Days Can Make for Great Art. Here's How 10 Artists Found Inspiration in Isolation, From a Bedridden Frida Kahlo to a Jailed Egon Schiele

Lonely Days Can Make for Great Art. Here's How 10 Artists Found Inspiration in Isolation, From a Bedridden Frida Kahlo to a Jailed Egon Schiele

by Katie White
Tate Britain's Landmark Show ‘Queer British Art’ Digs Deep Into Forgotten Histories

Tate Britain's Landmark Show ‘Queer British Art’ Digs Deep Into Forgotten Histories

by Hettie Judah

Claude Cahun Artworks

Artworks for Sale &
Auction Results

Claude Cahun (109 results)
Self-portrait with Roger Roussot in..., 1929

Claude Cahun

Self-portrait with Roger Roussot in..., 1929

Sale Date: December 9, 2010

Auction Closed

Portrait of Marcel Moore, 1927

Claude Cahun

Portrait of Marcel Moore, 1927

Sale Date: October 7, 2010

Auction Closed

Nature-morte, 1936

Claude Cahun

Nature-morte, 1936

Sale Date: November 20, 2009

Auction Closed

Prends un petit bâton pointu, 1936

Claude Cahun

Prends un petit bâton pointu, 1936

Sale Date: November 20, 2009

Auction Closed

Self-portrait, 1912

Claude Cahun

Self-portrait, 1912

Sale Date: July 1, 2009

Auction Closed

Unique photo booth self-portrait, 1930–1939

Claude Cahun

Unique photo booth self-portrait, 1930–1939

Sale Date: July 1, 2009

Auction Closed

Self-portrait, 1928

Claude Cahun

Self-portrait, 1928

Sale Date: July 1, 2009

Auction Closed

Selbstportraits (+ another; 2 works), 1925–1928

Claude Cahun

Selbstportraits (+ another; 2 works), 1925–1928

Sale Date: June 8, 2009

Auction Closed

Le coeur de pic - The heart of spades (bk w/20...

Claude Cahun

Le coeur de pic - The heart of spades (bk w/20...

Sale Date: May 19, 2009

Auction Closed

Aveux non Avenus (bk w/9 works, folio)

Claude Cahun

Aveux non Avenus (bk w/9 works, folio)

Sale Date: May 19, 2009

Auction Closed

Untitled, surrealist hands, 1939

Claude Cahun

Untitled, surrealist hands, 1939

Sale Date: October 14, 2008

Auction Closed

Self portrait, 1927

Claude Cahun

Self portrait, 1927

Sale Date: October 14, 2008

Auction Closed

Les mains, 1936

Claude Cahun

Les mains, 1936

Sale Date: April 28, 2008

Auction Closed

Le coeur de pic (bk by Lise Deharme with 20..., 1937

Claude Cahun

Le coeur de pic (bk by Lise Deharme with 20..., 1937

Sale Date: November 22, 2007

Auction Closed

Self-portrait, 1927

Claude Cahun

Self-portrait, 1927

Sale Date: October 17, 2007

Auction Closed

Entre nous, 1926

Claude Cahun

Entre nous, 1926

Sale Date: April 25, 2007

Auction Closed

Autoportrait, 1929

Claude Cahun

Autoportrait, 1929

Sale Date: April 25, 2007

Auction Closed

Sylvia Beach, 1919

Claude Cahun

Sylvia Beach, 1919

Sale Date: February 13, 2007

Auction Closed

La Marseillaise est un chant..., 1936

Claude Cahun

La Marseillaise est un chant..., 1936

Sale Date: February 6, 2007

Auction Closed

Globe de verre cassé, 1938

Claude Cahun

Globe de verre cassé, 1938

Sale Date: November 20, 2005

Auction Closed

Entre nous, 1926

Claude Cahun

Entre nous, 1926

Sale Date: November 20, 2005

Auction Closed

Le Coeur de pic, pl. IX, 1936

Claude Cahun

Le Coeur de pic, pl. IX, 1936

Sale Date: November 20, 2005

Auction Closed

Sans titre, août, 1936

Claude Cahun

Sans titre, août, 1936

Sale Date: November 20, 2005

Auction Closed

La Coeur de pic, pl. XVIII, 1936

Claude Cahun

La Coeur de pic, pl. XVIII, 1936

Sale Date: November 20, 2005

Auction Closed

English (US)

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