Artist puts surrealist ‘stamp’ on new collection

Thursday 23 January 2020

A groundbreaking surrealist artist, who led one of the most successful local resistance efforts during the Occupation, has been celebrated on a new issue of stamps.

Claude Cahun’s enigmatic and androgynous self-portraits, which she made in collaboration with her partner Marcel Moore, are being featured on a new set of stamps released by Jersey Post.

The pair moved to the island in 1937 and were well-known both for their artistic endeavours and resistance to the rule of the Occupation which eventually resulted in their imprisonment.

Pictured: One of Cahun's most well-known portraits, 'Don't Kiss Me I'm In Training', 1927. (Jersey Heritage)

Threatened with a death sentence that was never carried out, their incarceration caused Cahun ill-health for the rest of her life.

After her death in 1954, she was buried at St. Brelade’s Church and a commemorative plaque was installed at her former house, La Rocquaise.

The Jersey Heritage Trust collection holds the largest collection of Cahun and Moore’s work which has been described as one of the island’s greatest cultural assets.

Pictured: Jersey Heritage holds the largest collection of Cahun and Moore's work. (Jersey Heritage)

Senior Registrar at the Trust Val Nelson said: “Since 1995, the collection has been featured in over 50 exhibitions around the world. Cahun has attracted a cult following among art historians and critics and we’re thrilled and excited to see a selection of her work being the subject of a set of stamps here in Jersey.” 

The new issue of stamps showcasing her most iconic imagery will be available to buy from all Jersey Post branches from 12 February.