One/Two

​Gender non-conforming, British artist Hannah Gluckstein referred to herself simply as “Gluck.” This is Medallion (1936), a.k.a. the “You/We” picture, inspired by watching a performance of Mozart’s Don Giovanni with her lover Nesta Obermer (background), a wealthy philanthropist and playwright. Of course the work’s title and appearance link it to the tradition of ancient Roman medallions, on which emperors and other significant individuals appear in profile. Here the lovers stare into the future together. When the work was exhibited, Gluck wrote to Obermer, “Now it is out, and to the rest of the Universe I call Beware! Beware! We are not to be trifled with.”