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Leopold Zahn (1890–1970) was an Austrian writer and art historian who was an expert on the works of
Leopold Zahn (1890–1970) was an Austrian writer and art historian who was an expert on the works of Paul Klee
Paul Klee (; 18 December 1879 – 29 June 1940) was a Swiss-born German artist. His highly individual style was influenced by movements in art that included expressionism, cubism, and surrealism. Klee was a natural draftsman who experimented wi ...
. He wrote an autobiographical account of his experience being brought up as a girl, due to an unspecified intersex
Intersex people are those born with any of several sex characteristics, including chromosome patterns, gonads, or genitals that, according to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, "do not fit typical binar ...
condition. This was published anonymously in Vienna in 1910, entitled ''Aus dem Tagebuch einer männlichen Gymnasiastin (From the diary of a male schoolgirl).''
Early life
Zahn was born Leopoldine in 1890, in Salesianergasse inVienna
Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...
. At his birth, the midwife was unsure of his gender, and the child was raised as a girl. At age 17, he changed his name to Leopold, and the name and gender entry were corrected in the baptismal register. This alteration of the records featured in newspapers of the time. Zahn wrote an autobiographical account of his experience, which was published anonymously in Vienna in 1910, entitled ''Aus dem Tagebuch einer männlichen Gymnasiastin (From the diary of a male schoolgirl).''Career
Zahn was an art historian, critic and gallery owner. He published one of the first monographs onPaul Klee
Paul Klee (; 18 December 1879 – 29 June 1940) was a Swiss-born German artist. His highly individual style was influenced by movements in art that included expressionism, cubism, and surrealism. Klee was a natural draftsman who experimented wi ...
in 1920, and his work on Klee influenced later views on cosmology in Klee's work. Zahn also wrote on decorative arts, especially Viennese furniture.
In 1946, together with Woldemar Klein, he founded the magazine ''Das'' ''Kunstwerk'', which developed into an important publication on modern art in West Germany. The first issue focussed on the role of the artist in society. In 1955 he was a co-founder of the Die Gesellschaft der Freunde junger Kunst (The Society of Friends of Young Art). He died in 1970.
References