c. 1948
Leonor Fini was the life of the party during the French Surrealist movement. A socialite with connections to some of the movement's biggest names, Fini was also an astoundingly gifted artist in her own right. In fact, many consider her to be the most fiercely independent female artist of the 20th century. A theatrical personality, Fini created prints, paintings and drawings that are widely revered for their sensuous qualities and raw energy.
Fini's life started off in a dramatic fashion, which was perhaps a portent of things to come. She was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1907, but her parents separated soon after and her mother took her away to Trieste, Italy. Due to her father's attempts to kidnap her, Fini was often dressed as a boy throughout her childhood.
Fini was surrounded by artistic women in Trieste, and she naturally developed a love for art as well. By the time she was 17, she had become familiar with Renaissance art and Mannerist painting and was exhibiting her own portraits. In 1931, at just 24 years of age, Fini moved to Paris and became acquainted with influential artists Giorgio de Chirico and Carlos Carrà. She also met and started a romantic relationship with Surrealist pioneer Max Ernst, who introduced her to others in the movement.
Though she had no formal art education, Fini proved herself to be both technically masterful and creatively exceptional. Her work and her flamboyant personality attracted the attention of many of the 20th century's most celebrated artists and thinkers, including Salvador Dalí, Jean Cocteau, Albert Camus and Jean Genet, just to name a very few. She exhibited her work in many Parisian art galleries, including the gallery of Christian Dior before the fashion icon became a designer.
In the 1950s, Fini continued painting while immersing herself in other artistic and dramatic endeavors, including theater costume and mask design. She also designed posters for the Paris Opera and wardrobes for movies.
Fini continued living and painting in Paris for the rest of her life. She died in 1996.
On 1stDibs, find original Leonor Fini prints, paintings and drawings.
Leonor Fini, Cat Amongst Flowers (Chat aux Fleurs), Watercolour and Ink Drawing
By Leonor Fini
Located in London, GB
Signed Ink and watercolour on paper 10 x 6 1/2 inches Believing that paintings were something like pieces of theatre, Leonor Fini’s surreal works are highly theatrical in their depi...
Ink, Watercolor
Shirley Goldfarb, Colourful Abstract Painting, Oil and Watercolour, 1963
By Shirley Goldfarb
Located in London, GB
Signed and dated Oil and watercolour on paper, mounted on board 18 x 22 inches Shirley Goldfarb is known for infusing the Abstract Impressionist movement with light and colour. Foll...
Canvas, Oil
John Armstrong, Group of Figures, Tempera on Handmade Paper, Signed, 1940s
By John Armstrong
Located in London, GB
Signed with initials Tempera on hand-made paper laid on panel 6 3/4 x 8 3/4 inches Group of Figures (1945), encapsulates John Armstrong’s interest in Classical and Renaissance image...
Tempera, Panel
Green Projection, 1971 - Acrylic on Canvas, British Abstraction - Sandra Blow
By Sandra Blow
Located in London, GB
Green Projection, 1971 - Work on Paper, British Abstraction - Sandra Blow Signed and dated on canvas overlap on reverse Acrylic on canvas, with aluminium construction 54 x 48 inches ...
Paper, Acrylic
Sir Stanley Spencer, Head of a Young Girl, 1940's Pencil Drawing on Toned Paper
By Stanley Spencer
Located in London, GB
Pencil on two joined sheets of toned paper Signed 14 1/2 x 13 inches Religion was a guiding force in Spencer’s work, an energy made manifest in this drawing, Head of a Young Girl, ...
Pencil
Autoportrait au Petit Col Rond (Self-Portrait with a Small Round Neck), 1925
Located in London, GB
Suzanne Fabry Autoportrait au Petit Col Rond (Self-Portrait with a Small Round Neck), c.1925 Charcoal on paper 22 1/4 x 18 1/4 inches signed SUZANNE FABRY (lower right) Brussels-bor...
Paper, Charcoal
Portrait of a Child, Surrealist Lithograph by Leonor Fini
By Leonor Fini
Located in Long Island City, NY
Portrait of a Child Leonor Fini, Argentine/French (1918–1996) Lithograph, signed and numbered in pencil Edition of 200 Image Size: 16.5 x 12 inches Size: 24.5 x 19 in. (62.23 x 48.26...
Lithograph
Portrait No. 13
By Leonor Fini
Located in Columbia, MO
Leonor Fini (Argentine-French, 1907–1996) A fiercely spirited Surrealist unfettered by social mores, Leonor Fini defied convention with her haunting, dreamlike works that explore the...
Paper, Lithograph
Portrait - Ink on Paper Unique Signed Drawing Surrealist Woman Painter, c. 1960
By Leonor Fini
Located in New York, NY
Leonor Fini Portrait, ca. 1960 Ink on paper 14.5 x 10 cm 5 1/2 x 4 in. 37.5 x 33 cm 14 1/2 x 13 in. (Frame included) Unique work Exhibition history: Leonor Fini: Small Faces, Apri...
Paper, Ink, Graphite
Portrait No. 9
By Leonor Fini
Located in Columbia, MO
Leonor Fini (Argentine-French, 1907–1996) A fiercely spirited Surrealist unfettered by social mores, Leonor Fini defied convention with her haunting, dreamlike works that explore the...
Paper, Lithograph
Portrait No. 10
By Leonor Fini
Located in Columbia, MO
Leonor Fini (Argentine-French, 1907–1996) A fiercely spirited Surrealist unfettered by social mores, Leonor Fini defied convention with her haunting, dreamlike works that explore the...
Paper, Lithograph
Portrait de Jeune Fille Portrait of a Girl 1970 original aquatint Leonor Fini
By Leonor Fini
Located in Paonia, CO
Portrait de Jeune Fille is a haunting portrait of a young girl also known as .. Justine… she could be either fading into the distance or just materializing out of a dream state. Her hair and the air around her is in shades of pale blue and the background is the white of the paper. This is a limited edition ( 170/300) aquatint , signed in the plate. In good condition with a 1" repaired tear midway on the right border which will not show when framed. Argentinian-born artist Leonor Fini (1907-1996) is considered one of the great female artists of the twentieth century. She moved to Paris in the early 1930’s where she spent most of her life and almost immediately formed friendships with Salvador Dali, Cartier- Bresson, Max Ernst and other intellectuals of the time. At twenty five she had her first one person show in Paris and was included in the 1936 pivotal exhibition at MOMA…Fantastic Art, Dada and Surrealism…..and that same year had an exhibition at a famous avant garde gallery in New York. Although Fini never considered herself a Surrealist she maintained close personal relationships with several members of the group. One can see how their ideology influenced her work but she remained firmly rooted in the tradition of Symbolism, Metaphysics and Italian and German Romanticism Her works can be found in most important collections of modern art around the world. Fini was renowned as a portraitist and as a painter of erotic sexual tensions with a mysterious atmosphere. She was adamant about being independent and not belonging to any one group. She lived life on her own terms and is sometimes referred to as …..the female Dali. She was also involved with designing for fashion and creating elaborate sets for opera and theatre. As a feminist she was definitely ahead of the times. She produced the first erotic male nude...
Aquatint
