GerdaWegener

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GerdaMarieFredrikkeGottlieb(15March188628July
1940)wasaDanishfineartist,illustratorandpainterbest
knownforerotica.Herartworklargelycontainsimagesof
fashionablewomeninthestyleofartnouveauandlaterart
deco.

GerdaWegener

Contents
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Earlylife
Career
LiliElbe
Laterlifeanddeath
Bookandfilm
SelectworksillustratedbyWegener
References
Literature
Externallinks

Wegenerin1904
Born

GerdaMarieFredrikkeGottlieb
15March1886
Hammelev,Denmark

Died

28July1940(aged54)
Frederiksberg,Denmark

Earlylife
Gottliebgrewupintheprovinces,nearthecityofGrenaa,
thedaughterofJustine(nesterberg)andEmilGottlieb,a
vicarintheCatholicchurch.HerfatherhadHuguenot
ancestryandherfamilywasconservative.Shehadthree
siblingsbutwastheonlychildtolivetoadulthood.She
showedartistictalentatayoungageandbegantraining.Her
familymovedtoHobroandlatershemovedtoCopenhagen
topursuehereducationattheRoyalDanishAcademyof
FineArts.

Occupation artist,illustrator,painter
Spouse(s)

EinarWegener(19041930marriage
annulled)
FernandoPorta(19311936divorced)

Career
HerbigbreakasanartistcamejustaftergraduatingfromtheAcademyin1907and1908whenshewona
drawingcontestputonbythePolitikennewspaper.ShethenwasthecenterofacontroversycalledthePeasant
PainterDisputeafteroneofherworks,aportraitofEllenvonKohl,wasrejectedforexhibitionsduetothe
styleofthepiece.[1]
GerdawasinspiredbyfashionandsoughtworkasanillustratorforVogue,LaVieParisienneandother
magazines.ShehadbecomeawellknownartistinParisbutwaslesssuccessfulinDenmark,wherepeople
foundherworktoocontroversial.SheheldexhibitionsofherworkatpopularartstudiosaroundEurope.In
1925shewonaprizeforherartworkincompetitionatthe1925WorldFairinParis.[2]Shewasknownforher
illustrationscreatedforadvertisementsandwasalsoasoughtafterportraitpainter.ShebefriendedUllaPoulsen
(19052001),afamousDanishballerina,whobecameafrequentmodelforherpaintings.GerdaandLiliwere
alsoclosefriendswithartistRudolphTegnerandhiswife,Elna.

LiliElbe

ShemetfellowartistEinarWegener(laterLiliElbe)(18821931)atartschool.[3]Theymarriedin1904,when
Gerdawas18andEinarwas22.[4]TheytraveledthroughItalyandFrance,eventuallysettlinginParisin1912.
ThecoupleimmersedthemselvesintheBohemianlifestyleofthetime,befriendingmanyartists,dancersand
otherfiguresfromtheartisticworld.Thecouplewouldoftenattendcarnivalsandotherpublicfestivals.
Atthetime,manyconsideredEinartobethemoretalentedartist,buthetoneddownhisownworkandprofile
tohelphiswifeinherartisticendeavors.EinarposedforGerdainwomen'sclothesoneday,fillinginforan
absenteemodel.Sheaskedhimtowearstockingsandheelssohislegscouldsubstituteforthoseofthemodel,
andsoonheadoptedthepersonaof"LiliElbe",afterfindinghefeltsurprisinglycomfortableintheclothing.[5]
LilibecameGerda'sfavoritemodel,andovertime,Gerdabecamefamousforherpaintingsofbeautifulwomen
withhauntingalmondshapedeyesdressedinchicfashions.In1913,theartworldwasshockedwhenthey
learnedthatthemodelwhohadinspiredGerda'sdepictionsofpetitefemmesfataleswasinfactherhusband
Einar.[4]
Einareventuallyidentifiedasamaletofemaletransgenderwoman.Shehadthefirstpubliclyknownsex
reassignmentsurgeryinhistoryin1930afteryearsoflivinglifesolelyasLiliElbe.WhenoutinpublicGottlieb
introducedElbeasEinarWegener'ssisterwhenshewasdressedinfemaleattire.[6]Sincetheywerenolonger
manandwife,theWegeners'marriagewasdeclarednullandvoidinOctober1930byChristianX,theKingof
Denmarkatthattime.Lilidiedin1931fromcomplicationsofsurgery.

Laterlifeanddeath
In1931,Gerda,afterbeingdevastatedfromthedeathofLili,married
theItalianofficer,aviatoranddiplomatMajorFernandoPorta,who
wasbornin1896andtenyearsherjunior,andmovedwithhimto
Morocco(specificallyMarrakechandCasablanca).Shecontinuedto
createartduringthisperiod,signingherpaintingsas'GerdaWegener
Porta'.ShedivorcedPortain1936afterarockymarriage,withPorta
swindlingherfunds,andreturnedtoDenmarkin1938.Sheheldher
lastexhibitionin1939,butbythistimeherartworkwasoutofstyle.
Shehadnochildrenandlivedaloneinrelativeobscurityandbeganto
drinkheavily.Shekeptanincomebysellinghandpaintedpostcards.
GerdadiedonJuly28,1940,inFrederiksberg,Denmark.Justafew
monthspriortoGerda'sdeath,followingtheonsetofWorldWarII,
NaziGermanyinvadedDenmarkinApril1940.[7]Hersmallestate
wasauctionedoffandtherewasonlyasmallobituaryprintedinthe
localpaper.Therehasbeendebateaboutwhetherornotshewasa
lesbian.SomereportsclaimshemarriedEinarWegenerbecausethey
werebothhomosexuals,andtheyknewinordertofindworkatthat
timetheyneededtokeepthisasecret.

LiliElbebyGerdaWegener

Bookandfilm
Overtheyears,thestoryofLiliandGerdagainedacultfollowinginDenmarkandaroundtheworld.Their
artworkhasbeenrediscovered,andexhibitedandauctionedwithsuccess.AspecialexhibitionofGerda
Wegener'sartisondisplayattheArkenMuseumofModernArtuntilJanuary2017,withplansforatraveling
exhibitofherarttotravelaroundtheworld.[8]
TheDanishGirl,DavidEbershoff's2000novelaboutEinar/LiliandGerda,wasaninternationalbestsellerand
wastranslatedintoadozenlanguages.WegenerisportrayedbySwedishactressAliciaVikanderinthe2015
filmTheDanishGirl,alsostarringBritishactorEddieRedmayneasEinarWegener/LiliElbe.Thefilm

receivedsomecriticismforhavingbeenwrittensimilarlytoforcedfeminizationerotica,obscuringtheactual
storyofahistoricaltranspersonandomittingcertainfacts[9]andforbeingbasedonafictionalbookthatdoes
nottellthetruestoryofEinarandGerdaWegener.[10]ThetopicofGerda'sownsexuality,whichmanybelieve
isdemonstratedbythesubjectsofhereroticdrawings,arenotmentionedinthefilmorbook.[11][12][13]In
February2016,AliciaVikanderwontheAcademyAwardforBestSupportingActressforherperformanceas
Wegener.

SelectworksillustratedbyWegener
LeLivredesVikingsbyCharlesGuyot(1920or1924)
UneAventured'AmourVenisebyGiacomoCasanova.LeLivreduBibliophile.GeorgesBriffaut.
CollectionLeLivreduBibliophile.Paris.1927.
LesContesbyLaFontaine(19281929).
ContesdemonPreleJarsandSurTalonsrougesbyEricAllatini(1929)
FortuniobyThophileGautier(1934)
L'AnneauouLaJeuneFilleImprudentebyLouisdeRobert
AmourEtrusquebyJ.H.Rosnyan
L'AbdicationdeRisOrangisbyLoLarguier(1918)

References
1.ARKENMuseumofModernArt."Catalogueextract(UK):GERDAWEGENER".Issuu.
2.Biography(http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/sep/28/gerdaeinarwergenerdanishgirltranspainter)
accessed12152015
3."Conway'sVintageTreasures".Vintagemovieposter.com.Retrieved8April2014.
4.SheandShe:TheMarriageofGerdaandEinarWegener(http://web.archive.org/web/20070927182419/http://www.cph
post.dk/get/59398.html).TheCopenhagenPost.3July2000
5.TheArtsandTransgender(http://web.archive.org/web/20060618025105/http://www.renaissanceblackpool.org/art.htm
l).renaissanceblackpool.org
6.LiliElbe(http://web.archive.org/web/20071010080625/http://andrejkoymasky.com/liv/fam/bioe1/elbe1.html).
andrejkoymasky.com.17May2003
7.SheandShe(http://web.archive.org/web/20070927182419/http://www.cphpost.dk/get/59398.html)accessed1215
2015
8.GerdaatArken(http://uk.arken.dk/udstilling/gerda_wegener/)accessed12/152015
9." "TheDanishGirl"StretchesFrillyForcedFemmeFantasyOverActualTransHistory".HARLOTMagazine.2015
1123.Retrieved20151125.
10."ThetragictruestorybehindTheDanishGirl".TheTelegraph.December8,2015.RetrievedDecember10,2015.
11."TheIncrediblyTrueAdventuresofGerdaWegenerandLiliElbe".coilhouse.net.August3,2012.Retrieved
December10,2015.
12."ReadingGroupNotesTheDanishGirl".allenandunwin.com.RetrievedDecember10,2015.
13."TheDanishGirlvstheTrueStoryofLiliElbe,GerdaWegener".historyvshollywood.com.RetrievedDecember10,
2015.

Literature
Manintowoman:anauthenticrecordofachangeofsex/LiliElbeeditedbyNielsHoyer[i.e.E.
Harthern]translatedfromtheGermanbyH.J.Stenningintrod.byNormanHaire.London,Jarrold
Publisher's,1933(OriginalDanished.publishedin1931undertitle:Framandtilkvinde.Lateredition:
Manintowoman:thefirstsexchange,aportraitofLiliElbethetrueandremarkabletransformationof
thepainterEinarWegener.London,BlueBoatBooks,2004.
GerdaWegener/editedbyAndreaRyggKarberg...[etal.].Denmark,ArkenMuseumofModernArt,
2015.

Externallinks

RetrospectiveexhibitionatARKENMuseumofModernArt(htt
p://uk.arken.dk/udstilling/gerda_wegener/)7November2015to8
January2017

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Categories: 1886births 1940deaths Bisexualartists ScandinavianpeopleofHuguenotdescent
Danisheroticartists Danishillustrators LGBTartistsfromDenmark 20thcenturyDanishpainters
Womenpainters ArtNouveaupainters ArtNouveauillustrators 20thcenturywomenartists
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