Claude Cahun

1894–1954

Claude Cahun, ‘I Extend My Arms’ 1931 or 1932
I Extend My Arms 1931 or 1932
© The estate of Claude Cahun
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In Tate Britain

Prints and Drawings Rooms

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Biography

Claude Cahun (25 October 1894 – 8 December 1954), born Lucie Renee Mathilde Schwob, was a French photographer, sculptor and writer.

Lucie Renee Mathilde Schwob adopted the gender-ambiguous name Claude Cahun in 1917 and is best known for self-portraits, in which she assumed a variety of personae.

Her work was both political and personal, and often undermined traditional concepts of static gender roles. In her autobiography, Disavowals, she explained, “Masculine? Feminine? It depends on the situation. Neuter is the only gender that always suits me.”

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Surrealism

Artworks

Claude Cahun, ‘I Extend My Arms’ 1931 or 1932

Claude Cahun I Extend My Arms

1931 or 1932
View by appointment P79319
Claude Cahun, ‘Untitled’ 1936

Claude Cahun Untitled

1936
View by appointment P79320
Claude Cahun, ‘Untitled’ 1936

Claude Cahun Untitled

1936
View by appointment P79317
Claude Cahun, ‘Crystal Heads, British Museum, London, June-July 1936’ 1936

Claude Cahun Crystal Heads, British Museum, London, June-July 1936

1936
View by appointment P79321
Claude Cahun, ‘Untitled’ 1936

Claude Cahun Untitled

1936
View by appointment P79318

Film and audio

Unlock Art: Exploring the Surreal

Unlock Art: Exploring the Surreal

The Doctor travels through time to bring us the story of Surrealism

Unlock Art: Where are the Women?

Unlock Art: Where are the women?

Jemima Kirke, the British-born American artist and actress best known for her role as Jessa Johansson on the HBO television ...

Features

Claude Cahun, ‘I Extend My Arms’ 1931 or 1932

MicroTate 36

Lubaina Himid and Peter C van Wyck

New reflections on two works in the Tate collection

Roni Horn Images from This is Me This is You 1998 to 2000

Faces that speak volumes: Roni Horn

Elisabeth Lebovici

Can a book with no text paint a portrait of a writer? Elisabeth Lebovici examines the challenging representation of identity ...

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