Khabar On Demand: Google is celebrating author and surrealist photographer Claude Cahun on his 127th birthday with a new doodle.
The Google homepage features black and white artwork by Kahun. The image changes to show Kahun wearing different outfits and looks.
Known for his self-portrait photography challenging the norms of gender and sexuality, Cahun was born on this day in 1894 in Nantes, France.
A birthday #GoogleDoodle for a revolutionary artist far ahead of their time: French author & surrealist self-portrait photographer Claude Cahun 🇫🇷
Cahun challenged the gender norms of the early 20th-century through art & literature 🖼
Learn more → https://t.co/zB4GNUHr5j pic.twitter.com/SGGYhy8Ghw
— Google Doodles (@GoogleDoodles) October 25, 2021
Cahun met his lifelong partner and collaborator Marcel Moore at the age of 14. Cahun then shaved his head, adopted his gender-neutral name, and identified as non-binary after moving to Paris in 1919.
The author and photographer explored gender-fluidity in his 1927 series, I’m in Training, Don’t Kiss Me, which featured Kahun as a feminized weightlifter.
Cahun also fought against the fascist occupation and was awarded the Medal of French Gratitude by the French government in 1951. The Paris City Council named a street after Cahun and Moore where the pair lived in 2018.
“Kahun’s work continues to influence conversations on gender-bending celebrities, the modern LGBTQ+ community, and identity and expression to this day,” Google said.
