Gerda Wegener (b. Hammelev 1886, d. Frederiksberg 1940)
Portrait of Lili Elbe, 1927. Signed Gerda Wegener. Oil on canvas. 63×40,5 cm.
Exhibited: “Gerda Wegener: Portraitiste danoise du Paris des années 20”, Paris, Maison du Danemark, Paris 2000. Exhibited: “Gerda Wegener”, Arken, Ishøj, 2015–16, cat. no. 116. Provenance: By descent in the family of a friend of Gerda Wegener and Lili Elbe, to the current owner.
In 1930, Lili Ilse Elvenes – better known as Lili Elbe – undergoes a series of gender-correcting surgeries, but already in 1928 she decides to live fully as a woman. The painting here is therefore a rare portrait of Lili from the period, as she is still dressed in men's clothing and depicted as a painter with brushes and a palette.
Condition report available on request.
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