Self-portrait by Gluck - 1921 - 33 x 23 cm private collection Self-portrait by Gluck - 1921 - 33 x 23 cm private collection

Self-portrait

Pen and ink, pencil, watercolour and gouache on card • 33 x 23 cm
  • Gluck - 13 August 1895 - 10 January 1978 Gluck 1921

Gluck, born Hannah Gluckstein in 1895 to a wealthy family, studied at St John’s Wood School of Art from 1913 to 1916. In 1916, the artist ran away from London to Lamorna, Cornwall, with a lover, E.M. Craig, where they set up a dilapidated cottage among a community of artists and writers. Gluck gained widespread recognition for flower paintings.

Gluck was as famous for the rebellious, bohemian lifestyle and unconventional appearance as for the art. Gluck cropped hair, wore men’s clothes, smoked a pipe, and changed the name. An early work from 1921, the self-portrait in Eastern garb with calligraphic writing, demonstrates Gluck’s experimentation with self-presentation. Playing with fashion and culture to challenge gender expectations, Gluck's created a highly stylized and striking image. As a lesbian, non-gender-conforming person in Edwardian England, Gluck's determination and self-belief were undeniably brave.

P.S. Are you curious to see more? Take a look at Gluck's art and learn more about the fascinating person behind it. 

P.P.S. Our birthday sale is coming to an end. Did you take a moment to look at our online art history courses? Now it's the best occasion to learn something new!  :)