Paris in July 2019 - Claude Cahun exhibition

Paris in July is hosted by Thyme for Tea. One of my favourite memes, to talk and read about everything Parisian and/or French.

I had business in Halmstad (south west coast of Sweden) the other day. I picked up a beautiful painting that I bought. I will show it later. There were a surrealist group of painter in the beginning of the 20th century, living and working in Halmstad. They are called "The Halmstad Group". Starting out in the ordinary way, they very soon entered into surrealism. After having lived in Belgium, there is no getting away from surrealism. Although, I was not such a fan from the beginning, it grew on me, and today, I am rather fond of it. At the Mjellby Art Gallery there is a permanent exhibition with this group. But, what does it have to do with Paris in July you ask? Nothing really. BUT! At the same gallery there is an photo exhibition of a surrealist photographer, Claude Cahun. Never heard about her, or him, earlier, but it was a very interesting acquaintance.

Claude Cahun (1894-1954), or Lucy Renée Mathilde Schwob as she was named, was born in Nantes, into a cultural family. In 1909 she met her lifelong partner Marcel Moore (a pseudonym for Suzanne Malherbe). They formed a duo in the artistic scene of Paris in the 1920s. They interacted with artists, writers and actors, and became a part of the Surrealist set. In the late 1930s they moved to Jersey where they established a resistent movement in opposition to the Nazi occupation. They were captured and sentenced to death. The peace saved them.

Claude Cahun worked closely with Marcel Moore and they staged their photographs. She usually just used one camera, but did not develop the photos herself. Many of their motives were surrealistic, experimenting with identity, gender and different personae. As often is the case, she was never recognised during her life time. It is only in the 1980s that her photos were once again discovered.

The exhibition is very interesting. She is often herself the model, although in different disguises. It is sometimes difficult to see whether it is a man or a woman in the pictures. She was a pioneer in her way of staging her photos. Very talented, she also wrote poetry and books.

You could not be in Paris in the 1920s without encounter Surrealism. This is the time of André Breton's first Surrealist manifesto, and a group of artists came together to adopt the new 'ism'.

"Following the meeting with Breton, Cahun and Moore were drawn closer to the Surrealist group. Often extravagantly dressed in pink and gold, they would arrive at the meetings as a couple, which was not appreciated by any of the Surrealists despite the message Surrealism wished to convey about transcending norms. However, they did develop friendships with many of the Surrealists, including Max Ernst, Benjamin Péret, Yves Tanguy and René Char. Cahun and Moore thus came to be part of a successful, intellectual group in Paris that comprised artists, writers, authors and actors. "

                                                                                             From exhibition brochure

Another interesting couple in Paris in the 1920s. It seems to have been a wonderful time to be there if you were an artist of any kind. I found a book that hopefully will give me a picture of the life there at the time. "Ett magiskt rum - Salonger i 1920-talets Paris (A Magical Room - Salons in Paris in the 1920s) by Ingrid Svensson. Four women are in the forefront of this book, says the author; Gertrude Stein, Natalie Clifford Barney, Adrienne Monnier and Sylvia Beach. I have only heard of the first and last, but am sure it will be an interesting read.

Do you have any views on surrealism? What do you think?