Monsieur Vénus

The emergence of new scientific, psychological and philosophical ideas in the early 20th century challenged traditional concepts of society and the self. Feminist writings focused on gender expression and women’s political and economic freedom. Ideas interrogating gender roles and the social order began to appear in the works of artists and writers. These radical changes brought the male-dominated world view into question. Distinctions between the binary categories of human and machine, mind and body, male and female became blurred. They made space for a more fluid understanding of the world and human relationships.

The artworks on display reflect this shifting worldview. They highlight connections between the visual and literary networks where these new ideas circulated. The room’s title Monsieur Vénus is taken from the 1884 novel of the same name by the French writer Marguerite Eymery (1860–1953), who published under the gender-neutral pseudonym Rachilde. Monsieur Vénus tells a subversive love story where traditional gender roles are reversed. Like many of the works on display, the novel is an exploration of sexuality and the fluidity of identity.

The works in this room reveal artists’ complex and often conflicting ideas. More traditional approaches to identity and the human form are in dialogue with works examining new subjectivities and the unconscious. Women and queer artists on display interrogate the male gaze and traditional gender categories. Together, these artworks reveal a remarkable range of networks, identities and stories from a transformative era.