Leonor Fini
Portrait de Femme ( Self Portrait ? )
1946 - 1949

About the Item

This is a possible self portrait by the famed female surrealist artist. It is also strikingly similar in style with it's exaggerated eyes to her portrait of Jean Genet, ( Leonor Fini by Constantin Jelenski) this is an introspective study of a wide-eyed beauty. Fini deliberately accentuates and expands the size of her eyes evoking a surreal quality and making a physically small painting look much larger. Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, she was raised in Trieste, Italy, She moved to Milan at the age of 17, and then to Paris, in either 1931 or 1932. There, she became acquainted with Carlo Carrà Gandiorgio de Chirico a, who inspired much of her work. She also came to knowmul Éluard, Max Ernst, Georges Bataille, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Picasso, André Pieyre de Mandiargues, and Salvador Dalí. Provenance: Jerry Solomon Art Center Sotheby's , Heritage Auctions, Indistinctly signed lower right

Creator:
Leonor Fini (1908 - 1996, French)
Creation Year:
1946 - 1949
Dimensions:
Height: 9.5 in (24.13 cm)Width: 7.5 in (19.05 cm)
Medium:
Canvas,Oil
Movement & Style:
Surrealist
Period:
1940-1949
Condition:
some light craquelure through out visible mostly on close inspection.
Gallery Location:
Miami, FL
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU38536398872
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Leonor Fini

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.

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