Best know for her riveting photographic self-portraits that seem eerily ahead of their time, Claude Cahun (1894-1954) has attracted an almost cultlike following. Acting out diverse identities - both male and female - in scenes ranging from severely simple to elaborately staged, Cahun was a pioneer of the gender-bending role-playing now seen in works by artists such as Cindy Sherman (born the year Cahun died), Nikki S. Lee, and many others. Don't Kiss Me, the first comprehensive volume on Cahun, features many previously unpublished photographs and drawings, illuminating not only her work but also that of her partner, Marcel Moore (1892-1972), and their intense collaboration.
In Don't Kiss Me, seven international authors examine Cahun's and Moore's lives and art-making; their theatrical, literary, and performance activities; their relationship with the Surrealist movement; and Cahun's photographic technique. The book also includes the first thorough account of the Resistance operations, trial, imprisonment, and attempted suicides of the two artists during the Occupation. The extensive illustrations encompass not only Cahun's iconic images but also previously unseen photographs, manuscripts, and ephemera, as well as drawings by Moore. The wealth of new material in this survey makes it essential for all those with an interest in Cahun and Moore, photography, gender studies, or Surrealism.