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      Lili Elbe

      1882 - 1931

      At a glance

      • Art period: Modern
      • Works on this site: 1
      • Top 3 works: An Early Autumn Day by Bassin de Flore in Versailles
      • Lifespan: 49 years
      • Born: 1882, Vejle, Denmark

      The Life and Art of Lili Elbe

      Lili Elbe was a Danish painter who specialized in landscape paintings. During her career, she exhibited at the Kunstnernes Efterårsudstilling at the Vejle Art Museum in Denmark, as well as the Saloon and Salon d'Automne in Paris. Her notable works include Portrait de femme (1923), Parti Fra Capri (1921), View from the Garden of Versailles (1922), Costal View from France (1918), and Trianon (1920). Elbe was also a model for her wife, Gerda Wegener-Gottlieb, appearing as the subject for depictions of petites femmes fatales. Following her transition, she stopped painting.

      A Remarkable Journey

      Born in Vejle, Denmark, Elbe met Gerda Gottlieb while they were students at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen. They married in 1904. After traveling through Italy and France, they settled in Paris in 1912. In 1930, Elbe underwent sex reassignment surgery in Germany, involving a series of operations performed by doctors Erwin Gohrbandt and Kurt Warnekros. In 1931, she underwent a fourth surgery to transplant a uterus. Due to complications from organ rejection and infection, she died in Dresden, Germany, on 13 September 1931.

      Questions & Answers

      Can I explore Lili Elbe's works by color spectrum?

      The Spectral Index page organizes Lili Elbe's artworks by color.

      How popular are Lili Elbe's artworks?

      A Stats page exists for Lili Elbe, presenting statistics about the artist's artworks on this website.

      What are the birth city and country of Lili Elbe?

      Lili Elbe was born in Vejle, in Denmark.

      Is there a timeline of Lili Elbe's works?

      A timeline of Lili Elbe's works exists: the artist's Artwork Timeline page orders the artworks by creation date.

      A little quiz

      There is only one correct answer for each question.

      Question 1:
      What was Lili Elbe's primary artistic focus before she transitioned?
      Question 2:
      In which city did Elbe and Gerda Wegener settle in 1912?
      Question 3:
      Who was the German sexologist who evaluated Elbe's psychological health?
      Question 4:
      Which film inspired by Elbe's life was released in 2015?
      Question 5:
      What was the cause of Lili Elbe's death in 1931?