Claude Cahun and Marcel Moore

Claude Cahun and Marcel Moore

Claude Cahun and Marcel Moore met as teenagers and stayed together for the rest of their lives. They were collaborators, step-siblings and lovers and they both changed their birth names to make them gender neutral.

These Nazi-fighting lesbians went undercover as stepsisters.

They were brilliant women, quite out of the ordinary, and were quite obviously lesbians.

Barbara Hammer, filmmaker

In the 1920s, Claude Cahun and Marcel Moore were the cool kids of the Surrealist art scene in Paris. Their photos and collages captivated the likes of Salvador Dalí and André Breton. 

Que me veux-tu?, 1928

In 1944 Claude and Marcel were sentenced to death for dressing up as old ladies and secretly putting anti-Nazi slogans into soldiers' cigarette packets. Thankfully, the war ended and their lives were spared, they were even awarded a Medal of Gratitude by the French government. Today, they are still gender-bending pioneers.

Masculine? Feminine? It depends on the situation. Neuter is the only gender that suits me.

Untitled (Claude Cahun in Le Mystère d’Adam), 1929

Untitled, 1927

Claude Cahun as Elle in Barbe bleue, 1929


More in this series

Mickalene Thomas sits side on in a brown cushioned chair on an animal patterned carpet.
00:55
video

Mickalene Thomas

American artist Mickalene Thomas set out to change the face of art history back in the early 2000s – and that’s exactly what she’s done. We take a look at Mickalene’s humble beginnings and her artistic legacy as the contemporary art powerhouse she is today.

Black and white profile of a man with curly hair, examining a glass object against a textured surface.
00:59
video

Man Ray

Discover the trailblazing techniques and pioneering experiments of a photographic master.

Black and white photo of Tom of Finland
00:55
video

Tom of Finland

Tom of Finland's iconic drawing style is one of the most enduring influences on gay culture. As a young boy, he daydreamed about the farmers and labourers from his rural hometown in their leather boots and workwear. As an adult, he turned these fantasies into his legacy.

6 min read
Artsit El Anatsui standing in front of one of his installations at the Royal Academy of Arts
00:59
video

El Anatsui

Pioneering Ghanaian artist El Anatsui makes monumental, ever-changing sculptures out of bottle caps and rubbish. His sublime artworks have made him an international sensation and earned him a Golden Lion for lifetime achievement at the 56th Venice Biennale.

3 min read

Insightful?

Insightful?

Subscribe to the Avant Arte newsletter for the art world in your inbox.


Discover more insights

Are NFTs queerer than we think?
essay

Are NFTs queerer than we think?

When it comes to diversity, NFTs don’t have the best rep. But the good news is that countless underground and established queer artists are embracing this relatively young art history.

6 min read
Paul Insect posters up in london
article

Paul Insect: Peace

Throughout history, art has been a witness to war and a champion for peace. A new collaboration with Paul Insect stands in solidarity with everyone impacted by conflict worldwide.

2 min read
Yoon Hyup observes canvas he paints in front of him
2:18
video

Yoon Hyup - In The City

Using improvised line and dot to portray familiar skylines and dazzling city lights, Yoon Hyup’s freehand acrylic marks align spontaneously with the rhythm of New York. Ahead of our second collaboration, we made a short film to tell the story.

Lubaina Himid, The Carrot Piece, 1985
essay

The art movement that redefined Britain

What does it mean to be a British artist? The British Black Arts Movement introduced the world to a side of Britain that had been previously kept out of museums and galleries.

8 min read