Who was Claude Cahun, the artist celebrated in Google’s doodle?

(CNN Spanish) – This Monday’s Google doodle pays tribute to Claude Cahun. Who was this artist who would turn 127 this Monday?

Claude Cahun was a French surrealist photographer, writer and painter. As stated in his biography in the Encyclopedia Britannica, her original name was Lucy Renée Mathilde Schwob.

He was born on October 25, 1894 in Nantes, France and died on December 8, 1954 in St. Helier, Jersey.

“His deliberately haunting but hilarious self-portraits that defied the gender and sexuality norms of the early 20th century,” Google details in the doodle description.

His father owned a newspaper. At age 14 he met Marcel Moore, “his longtime partner and artistic collaborator,” says Google. Regarding the name change, he explains that “after moving to Paris to study literature in 1919, Cahun shaved his head and adopted his famous gender-neutral name in rebellion against social conventions.”

The artist “explored gender fluidity through literature and melancholic self-portraits such as the 1927 series” I’m in formation, don’t kiss me, “a work that showed her” disguised as a feminized weightlifter, blurring the line between male and female stereotypes, “says Google.

In addition, he “worked with others to resist the fascist occupation” and the government of France “awarded his efforts with the French Medal of Gratitude in 1951.”

“Cahun’s work has influenced gender-modifying celebrities, the modern LGBTQ + community, and conversations about identity and expression to this day,” Google concludes, commemorating the artist on her birthday.