Girl and Pug in an Automobile

Gerda Wegener is an outstanding figure in Danish art. You may know her story from The Danish Girl film.  :)  It is based on Gerda and her husband Einar Wegener's relationship. In 1930 Gerda supported her spouse who became one of the first in history to undergo a series of sex-reassignment surgeries to become a woman both physically and legally. After transitioning she changed her legal name to Lili Ilse Elvenes; unfortunately, Lili died the next year as a result of complications after a last operation.

As a woman artist, Gerda Wegener uniquely depicts the beauty of women with equal proportions of empathy and desire. Flirting girls, glamorous divas, and sensual women were among her favorite subjects. She was profoundly fascinated by people’s games with identity through dressing-up, masks, and theater. To all these, we can add pictures of her transgender spouse, who developed her female identity as a model in Wegener’s art. In these depictions, Lili poses as a woman in make-up, a succession of wigs, dresses, shoes, and exotic fans.

P.S. If you are interested in Gerda Wegener's story, see our article about her life and art.

P.P.S. Dear DailyArt users, on April 26th we will release the brand new and shiny DailyArt app!  :)  The new version brings one massive change, the subscription model. It means that if you buy the Premium version of the app after April 26th, you would need to pay a monthly or yearly fee for Premium. So, if you see the "Upgrade to Pro" button below, please buy it now with a one-time fee and enjoy Premium forever!  (If you don't see the button, it means that you are already Premium.)  :)