The Art of Claude Cahun

[Shana A]

The Art of Claude Cahun
Filed by: Serena Freewomyn
March 9, 2008 12:37 PM

http://www.bilerico.com/2008/03/womens_history_month_the_art_of_claude_c.php#more

When I discovered the work of photographer Claude Cahun, I was intrigued. When I read more about hir life, I was drawn in even more.

Claude Cahun was a surrealist artist who focused on the subject of gender. Born Lucy Scwob in 1894, Cahun came from a prominent Jewish family and received a good education. Schwob changed her name to Claude Cahun because Claude was a gender neutral name and Cahun was her maternal grandmother's name. This change reflected Cahun's desire to critically examine gender and aided her in her efforts to turn gender on its head.