Landscape paintings defined the early career of Lili Elbe, a Danish artist who later became one of the first individuals to undergo gender-affirming surgery. After training at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, she produced works such as the 1921 piece Parti Fra Capri before moving to Paris and eventually transitioning in the early 1930s.
Artistic Training and Career
Born in Vejle in 1882, Elbe studied at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. There, she met Gerda Gottlieb, whom she married in 1904. Elbe specialized in landscape painting, earning the Neuhausens prize in 1907. Her work appeared in exhibitions at the Vejle Museum of Art, the Saloon, and the Salon d'Automne in Paris. Notable pieces include Coastal View from France, Trianon, and Portrait de femme. She abandoned her painting career entirely following her transition.
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Living in Paris by 1912, Elbe began identifying as a woman, often appearing in public as Gottlieb's sister-in-law. In 1930, she moved to Germany to seek medical intervention at the Hirschfeld Institute for Sexual Science. Under the evaluation of Magnus Hirschfeld and the surgical care of Erwin Gohrbandt and Kurt Warnekros, she underwent a series of experimental procedures. These included the removal of testes, the implantation of an ovary, and subsequent surgeries to remove male genitalia and transplant a uterus.
Legal Changes and Final Complications
As her medical journey progressed, her story gained significant attention in the Danish and German press. In October 1930, a Danish court annulled her marriage to Gottlieb, and she successfully obtained legal recognition of her transition, including a passport issued under the name Lili Ilse Elvenes. In 1931, she underwent a final surgery to transplant a uterus. Following severe complications from organ rejection and infection, she died from cardiac arrest in Dresden on 13 September 1931.
Legacy and Representations
Posthumous interest in her life remains high. A narrative titled Man into Woman was published in 1933. The 2000 novel The Danish Girl, written by David Ebershoff, popularized her story, leading to a 2015 film adaptation. Her life also inspired a 2023 opera by composer Tobias Picker. Today, the MIX Copenhagen film festival presents the annual Lili Awards in her honor.
Fast facts
- Born: 1882, Vejle, Denmark
- Died: 13 September 1931, Dresden, Germany
- Occupation: Painter
- Education: Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts
- Burial location: Trinitatis Cemetery
- Spouse: Gerda Wegener-Gottlieb (married 1904, annulled 1930)
Questions readers ask
Did Lili Elbe continue painting after her transition?
No, Elbe stopped painting entirely after she transitioned.
What was the cause of death for Lili Elbe?
She died of cardiac arrest in 1931 due to an infection caused by the rejection of a transplanted uterus.
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