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Leonor Fini Art

French, 1908-1996

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.

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Artist: Leonor Fini
La Grande Parade des Chats (The Great Parade of the Cats)
By Leonor Fini
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist: Leonor Fini Title: La Grande Parade des Chats (The Great Parade of the Cats) Year: 1973 Medium: Color lithograph Edition: Numbered 1...
Category

1970s Surrealist Leonor Fini Art

Materials

Lithograph

Cats Dot and Swirl
By Leonor Fini
Located in Columbia, MO
LEONOR FINI Cats Dot and Swirl 1973 Color lithograph Ed. 157/230 12.5 x 9 inches
Category

1970s Surrealist Leonor Fini Art

Materials

Lithograph

Leonor Fini - Cats Trio - Original Hand-Signed Etching
By Leonor Fini
Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
Leonor Fini - Cats - Original Engraving Mme.Helvetius' Cats Original etching created in 1985 Hand-Signed Conditions: excellent Edition: 71/100 Support: Arches paper. Dimensions: Pape...
Category

1980s Modern Leonor Fini Art

Materials

Etching

Metamorphosis Cat (A)
By Leonor Fini
Located in Columbia, MO
Leonor Fini was born in Argentina in 1907 but travelled and lived in Europe with her mother from a young age. By 1931, she was in Paris, in the full swing of the Surrealist movement....
Category

Mid-20th Century Surrealist Leonor Fini Art

Materials

Etching

Erotica
By Leonor Fini
Located in Hollywood, FL
Artist: Leonor Fini Title: Erotica Medium: Etching Signed: Hand Signed Edition Number: 65/150 Measurements: 14" x 18" Framed: 20.75" x 26" Condition: Excellent. This piece has...
Category

Mid-20th Century Surrealist Leonor Fini Art

Materials

Etching

Bejeweled Cats
By Leonor Fini
Located in Columbia, MO
LEONOR FINI Bejeweled Cats 1973 Color lithograph Ed. 157/230 12.5 x 9 inches
Category

1970s Surrealist Leonor Fini Art

Materials

Lithograph

La Grande Parade des Chats etching by Surrealist Leonor Fini Cats Hats French
By Leonor Fini
Located in Buffalo, NY
An original hand signed and editioned etching by Leonor Fini from her "Parade des Chats " Cat Parade Series. This is an E.A or an edition of the artist. This piece comes in an ar...
Category

1970s Surrealist Leonor Fini Art

Materials

Archival Paper, Etching

Cat Creature
By Leonor Fini
Located in Columbia, MO
LEONOR FINI Cat Creature 1973 Color lithograph Ed. 157/230 12.5 x 9 inches
Category

1970s Surrealist Leonor Fini Art

Materials

Lithograph

Reflection
By Leonor Fini
Located in Columbia, MO
Leonor Fini was born in Argentina in 1907 but travelled and lived in Europe with her mother from a young age. By 1931, she was in Paris, in the full swing of the Surrealist movement....
Category

20th Century Surrealist Leonor Fini Art

Materials

Archival Paper, Etching

Cat with Staff
By Leonor Fini
Located in Columbia, MO
LEONOR FINI Cat with Staff 1973 Color lithograph Ed. 157/230 12.5 x 9 inches
Category

1970s Surrealist Leonor Fini Art

Materials

Lithograph

La Grande Parade des Chats (The Great Parade of the Cats)
By Leonor Fini
Located in San Francisco, CA
Artist: Leonor Fini Title: La Grande Parade des Chats (The Great Parade of the Cats) Year: 1973 Medium: Color lithograph Edition: Numbered 1...
Category

1970s Surrealist Leonor Fini Art

Materials

Lithograph

Two faces - Original Lithograph on Cardboard by Leonor Fini - 1970
By Leonor Fini
Located in Roma, IT
Two faces is an original colored lithograph on the cardboard, realized by Leonor Fini, an Argentine-Italian painter who spent her artistic career in France and was associated with th...
Category

1970s Contemporary Leonor Fini Art

Materials

Lithograph

Tip-Toe Cat
By Leonor Fini
Located in Columbia, MO
LEONOR FINI Tip-Toe Cat 1973 Color lithograph Ed. 157/230 12.5 x 9 inches
Category

1970s Surrealist Leonor Fini Art

Materials

Lithograph

Pout
By Leonor Fini
Located in Columbia, MO
Leonor Fini was born in Argentina in 1907 but travelled and lived in Europe with her mother from a young age. By 1931, she was in Paris, in the full swing of the Surrealist movement....
Category

Mid-20th Century Surrealist Leonor Fini Art

Materials

Etching

Hatted Cats
By Leonor Fini
Located in Columbia, MO
LEONOR FINI Hatted Cats 1973 Color lithograph Ed. 157/230 12.5 x 9 inches
Category

1970s Surrealist Leonor Fini Art

Materials

Lithograph

Cat Arabesque
By Leonor Fini
Located in Columbia, MO
LEONOR FINI Cat Arabesque 1973 Color lithograph Ed. 157/230 12.5 x 9 inches
Category

1970s Surrealist Leonor Fini Art

Materials

Lithograph

Jester Cat
By Leonor Fini
Located in Columbia, MO
LEONOR FINI Jester Cat 1973 Color lithograph Ed. 157/230 12.5 x 9 inches
Category

1970s Surrealist Leonor Fini Art

Materials

Lithograph

The Outfit
By Leonor Fini
Located in Columbia, MO
LEONOR FINI The Outfit 1973 Color lithograph Ed. 157/230 12.5 x 9 inches
Category

1970s Surrealist Leonor Fini Art

Materials

Lithograph

Cat with Hat
By Leonor Fini
Located in Columbia, MO
LEONOR FINI Cat with Hat 1973 Color lithograph Ed. 157/230 12.5 x 9 inches
Category

1970s Surrealist Leonor Fini Art

Materials

Lithograph

Robed and Hatted Cat
By Leonor Fini
Located in Columbia, MO
LEONOR FINI Regal Cat with her Cat 1973 Color lithograph Ed. 157/230 12.5 x 9 inches
Category

1970s Surrealist Leonor Fini Art

Materials

Lithograph

Les Elus De La Nuit (11B)
By Leonor Fini
Located in Columbia, MO
LEONOR FINI Les Elus De La Nuit (11B) 1986 15 x 11 Etching on Arches paper Ed. 14/31
Category

1980s Surrealist Leonor Fini Art

Materials

Etching

Leonor Fini - Playful Cat - Original Handsigned Lithograph
By Leonor Fini
Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
Leonor Fini - Playful Cat - Original Handsigned Lithograph Les Elus de la Nuit 1986 Conditions: excellent Handsigned and Numbered Edition: 230 Dimensions: 38 x 28 cm Editions: Trinc...
Category

1980s Modern Leonor Fini Art

Materials

Lithograph

Seahorse Cat
By Leonor Fini
Located in Columbia, MO
LEONOR FINI Seahorse Cat 1973 Color lithograph Ed. 157/230 12.5 x 9 inches
Category

1970s Surrealist Leonor Fini Art

Materials

Lithograph

Cat on the Rings
By Leonor Fini
Located in Columbia, MO
LEONOR FINI Cat on the Rings 1973 Color lithograph Ed. 157/230 12.5 x 9 inches
Category

1970s Surrealist Leonor Fini Art

Materials

Lithograph

Cats and Hammock
By Leonor Fini
Located in Columbia, MO
LEONOR FINI Cats and Hammock 1973 Color lithograph Ed. 157/230 12.5 x 9 inches
Category

1970s Surrealist Leonor Fini Art

Materials

Lithograph

Cat Twins
By Leonor Fini
Located in Columbia, MO
LEONOR FINI Cat Twins 1973 Color lithograph Ed. 157/230 12.5 x 9 inches
Category

1970s Surrealist Leonor Fini Art

Materials

Lithograph

Cats and Blindfold
By Leonor Fini
Located in Columbia, MO
LEONOR FINI Cats and Blindfold 1973 Color lithograph Ed. 157/230 12.5 x 9 inches
Category

1970s Surrealist Leonor Fini Art

Materials

Lithograph

Red Cat Twins
By Leonor Fini
Located in Columbia, MO
LEONOR FINI Red Cat Twins 1973 Color lithograph Ed. 157/230 12.5 x 9 inches
Category

1970s Surrealist Leonor Fini Art

Materials

Lithograph

Leonor Fini, rare original silkscreen on Rives paper, circa 1970
By Leonor Fini
Located in Saint Ouen, FR
Leonor Fini, rare original silkscreen on Rives paper, circa 1970 Rare print handsigned by surrealist artist Leonor Fini, inscreasingly esteemed with the movement of rediscovering ar...
Category

1970s Surrealist Leonor Fini Art

Materials

Paper

Courtesans, Signed Surrealist Etching by Leonor Fini
By Leonor Fini
Located in Long Island City, NY
Artist: Leonor Fini Title: Untitled IV Year: circa 1970 Medium: Etching, Signed and Numbered in Pencil Edition: 180/280 Size: 26 in. x 19.5 in. (66.04 cm x 49.53 cm)
Category

1970s Surrealist Leonor Fini Art

Materials

Etching

1a
By Leonor Fini
Located in Columbia, MO
Lithograph on Arches Exemplaire B/165 Leonor Fini was born in Argentina in 1907 but travelled and lived in Europe with her mother from a young age. By 1931, she was in Paris, in the...
Category

1960s Surrealist Leonor Fini Art

Materials

Lithograph, Archival Paper

Tango, Surrealist Etching on Fabriano Italia Paper by Leonor Fini
By Leonor Fini
Located in Long Island City, NY
Tango Color Etching on Fabriano Italia, signed and numbered in pencil Edition of 36/280 Image Size: 17 x 14.5 inches Size: 26 x 19 in. (66.04 x 48.26 cm)
Category

Late 20th Century Leonor Fini Art

Materials

Etching

Leonor Fini - Original Lithograph
By Leonor Fini
Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
Leonor Fini - Original Lithograph The Flowers of Evil 1964 Conditions: excellent Edition: 500 Dimensions: 46 x 34 cm Editions: Le Cercle du Livre Précieux, Paris Unsigned and unumb...
Category

1960s Modern Leonor Fini Art

Materials

Lithograph

3a
By Leonor Fini
Located in Columbia, MO
Lithograph on Arches Exemplaire B/165 Leonor Fini was born in Argentina in 1907 but travelled and lived in Europe with her mother from a young age. By 1931, she was in Paris, in the...
Category

1960s Leonor Fini Art

Materials

Lithograph, Archival Paper

Leonor Fini, rare original serigraph on Rives paper, circa 1970
By Leonor Fini
Located in Saint Ouen, FR
Rare print handsigned by surrealist artist Leonor Fini, inscreasingly esteemed with the movement of rediscovering art by women. This silkscreen is in perfect condition and from a ver...
Category

Mid-20th Century Surrealist Leonor Fini Art

Materials

Paper

Autumn afternoons - Hand-signed numbered lithograph Leonor Fini Surrealist, 1975
By Leonor Fini
Located in New York, NY
Leonor Fini Pendant les après-midi d'automne, 1975 Colored etching on Arches paper 11 × 15 in 28 × 38 cm Limited edition of 185 Condition: Excellent condition
Category

1970s Surrealist Leonor Fini Art

Materials

Lithograph

Courtesans, Etching by Leonor Fini
By Leonor Fini
Located in Long Island City, NY
Leonor Fini, Argentine/French (1918–1996) Date: Circa 1970 Color Etching, signed and numbered in pencil Edition of 59/280 Image Size: 17 x 14.5 inches Size: 29.5 in. x 21 in. (74.93 ...
Category

1970s Surrealist Leonor Fini Art

Materials

Etching

Leonor Fini - Cat - Original Etching
By Leonor Fini
Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
Leonor Fini - Cats - Original Engraving Mme.Helvetius' Cats Original etching created in 1985, Printed Signature (LF). Conditions: excellent Edition: 100 Support: Arches paper. Dimensions: Paper dimensions: 44 x 28 cm Editions: Moret, Paris. Leonor Fini is considered one of the most important women artists of the mid-twentieth century, along with Leonora Carrington, Frida Kahlo, Meret Oppenheim, Remedios Varo, and Dorothea Tanning – most of whom Fini knew well. Her career, which spanned some six decades, included painting, graphic design, book illustration, product design (the renowned torso-shaped perfume bottle for Schiaparelli’s Shocking), and set and costume design for theatre, ballet, opera, and film. In this compellingly readable, exhaustively researched account, author Peter Webb brings Fini’s provocative art and unconventional personal life, as well as the vibrant avant-garde world in which she revolved, vividly in life. Born in Buenos Aires in 1907 (August 30 – January 18, 1996, Paris) to Italian and Argentine parents, Leonor grew up in Trieste, Italy, raised by her strong-willed, independent mother, Malvina. She was a virtually self-taught artist, learing anatomy directly from studying cadavers in the local morgue and absorbing composition and technique from the Old Masters through books and visits to museums. Fini’s fledging attempts at painting in Trieste let her to Milan, where she participated in her first group exhibition in 1929, and then to Paris in 1931. Her vivacious personality and flamboyant attire instantly garnered her a spotlight in the Parisian art world and she soon developed close relationships with the leading surrealist writers and painters, including Paul Eluard, Salvador Dali, Man Ray, and Max Ernst, who became her lover for a time. The only surrealist she could not abide because of his misogyny was André Breton. Although she repeatedly exhibited with them, she never considered herself a surrealist. The American dealer Julien Levy, very much impressed by Fini’s painting and smitten by her eccentric charms, invited her to New York in 1936, where she took part in a joint gallery exhibition with Max Ernst and met many American surrealists, including Joseph Cornell and Pavel Tchelitchew. Her work was included in MoMA’s pivotal Fantastic Art, Dada and Surrealism exhibition, along with De Chirico, Dali, Ernst, and Yves Tanguy. In 1939 in Paris she curated an exhibition of surrealist furniture...
Category

1980s Modern Leonor Fini Art

Materials

Etching

Ma fortune - Hand-signed numbered lithograph by Leonor Fini, Surrealist, 1975
By Leonor Fini
Located in New York, NY
Leonor Fini Ma fortune, 1975 Colored etching on Arches paper 11 × 15 in 28 × 38 cm Limited edition of 185 Condition: Excellent condition
Category

1970s Surrealist Leonor Fini Art

Materials

Lithograph

Leonor Fini - Saturday Night Dress - Original Lithograph
By Leonor Fini
Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
Leonor Fini - Saturday Night Dress - Original Lithograph The Flowers of Evil 1964 Conditions: excellent Edition: 500 Dimensions: 46 x 34 cm Editions: Le Cercle du Livre Précieux, P...
Category

1960s Modern Leonor Fini Art

Materials

Lithograph

Le Concile d'Amour - Gouache on Paper Unique Surrealist Woman Painter, 1968
By Leonor Fini
Located in New York, NY
Leonor Fini Le Concile d'amour, 1968 Gouache on paper 14 1/5 × 11 4/5 in l 36 × 30 cm Frame included - 22 x 18 1/8 in l 56 x 46 cm Signed, counter-signed and titled lower right Cond...
Category

1960s Surrealist Leonor Fini Art

Materials

Gouache

Leonor Fini - Heavy Cat - Original Handsigned Lithograph
By Leonor Fini
Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
Leonor Fini - Heavy Cat - Original Handsigned Lithograph Les Elus de la Nuit 1986 Conditions: excellent Handsigned and Numbered Edition: 230 Dimensions: 38 x 28 cm Editions: Trinckv...
Category

1980s Modern Leonor Fini Art

Materials

Lithograph

Erotic Couple - Surrealism Argentinian French Erotic Couple
By Leonor Fini
Located in London, GB
This drawing by Leonor Fini is hand signed by the artist in brown ink "Leonor Fini" in the lower right image. It was executed in 1977. This work is from a sketchbook. Condition: Ve...
Category

1970s Surrealist Leonor Fini Art

Materials

Paper, Ink

Leonor Fini - Cats - Original Etching
By Leonor Fini
Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
Leonor Fini - Cats - Original Engraving Mme.Helvetius' Cats Original etching created in 1985, Printed Signature (LF). Conditions: excellent Edition: 100 Support: Arches paper. Dimensions: Paper dimensions: 44 x 28 cm Editions: Moret, Paris. Leonor Fini is considered one of the most important women artists of the mid-twentieth century, along with Leonora Carrington, Frida Kahlo, Meret Oppenheim, Remedios Varo, and Dorothea Tanning – most of whom Fini knew well. Her career, which spanned some six decades, included painting, graphic design, book illustration, product design (the renowned torso-shaped perfume bottle for Schiaparelli’s Shocking), and set and costume design for theatre, ballet, opera, and film. In this compellingly readable, exhaustively researched account, author Peter Webb brings Fini’s provocative art and unconventional personal life, as well as the vibrant avant-garde world in which she revolved, vividly in life. Born in Buenos Aires in 1907 (August 30 – January 18, 1996, Paris) to Italian and Argentine parents, Leonor grew up in Trieste, Italy, raised by her strong-willed, independent mother, Malvina. She was a virtually self-taught artist, learing anatomy directly from studying cadavers in the local morgue and absorbing composition and technique from the Old Masters through books and visits to museums. Fini’s fledging attempts at painting in Trieste let her to Milan, where she participated in her first group exhibition in 1929, and then to Paris in 1931. Her vivacious personality and flamboyant attire instantly garnered her a spotlight in the Parisian art world and she soon developed close relationships with the leading surrealist writers and painters, including Paul Eluard, Salvador Dali, Man Ray, and Max Ernst, who became her lover for a time. The only surrealist she could not abide because of his misogyny was André Breton. Although she repeatedly exhibited with them, she never considered herself a surrealist. The American dealer Julien Levy, very much impressed by Fini’s painting and smitten by her eccentric charms, invited her to New York in 1936, where she took part in a joint gallery exhibition with Max Ernst and met many American surrealists, including Joseph Cornell and Pavel Tchelitchew. Her work was included in MoMA’s pivotal Fantastic Art, Dada and Surrealism exhibition, along with De Chirico, Dali, Ernst, and Yves Tanguy. In 1939 in Paris she curated an exhibition of surrealist furniture for her childhood friend Leo Castelli for the opening of his first gallery. Introductions to her exhibition catalogues were written by De Chirico, Ernst, and Jean Cocteau. A predominant theme of Fini’s art is the complex relationship between the sexes, primarily the interplay between the dominant female and the passive, androgynous male. In many of her most powerful works, the female takes the form of a sphinx, often with the face of the artist. Fini was also an accomplished portraitist; among her subjects were Stanislao Lepri...
Category

1980s Modern Leonor Fini Art

Materials

Etching

Leonor Fini - Cats - Original Etching
By Leonor Fini
Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
Leonor Fini - Cats - Original Engraving Mme.Helvetius' Cats Original etching created in 1985, Printed Signature (LF). Conditions: excellent Edition: 100 Support: Arches paper. Dimensions: Paper dimensions: 44 x 28 cm Editions: Moret, Paris. Leonor Fini is considered one of the most important women artists of the mid-twentieth century, along with Leonora Carrington, Frida Kahlo, Meret Oppenheim, Remedios Varo, and Dorothea Tanning – most of whom Fini knew well. Her career, which spanned some six decades, included painting, graphic design, book illustration, product design (the renowned torso-shaped perfume bottle for Schiaparelli’s Shocking), and set and costume design for theatre, ballet, opera, and film. In this compellingly readable, exhaustively researched account, author Peter Webb brings Fini’s provocative art and unconventional personal life, as well as the vibrant avant-garde world in which she revolved, vividly in life. Born in Buenos Aires in 1907 (August 30 – January 18, 1996, Paris) to Italian and Argentine parents, Leonor grew up in Trieste, Italy, raised by her strong-willed, independent mother, Malvina. She was a virtually self-taught artist, learing anatomy directly from studying cadavers in the local morgue and absorbing composition and technique from the Old Masters through books and visits to museums. Fini’s fledging attempts at painting in Trieste let her to Milan, where she participated in her first group exhibition in 1929, and then to Paris in 1931. Her vivacious personality and flamboyant attire instantly garnered her a spotlight in the Parisian art world and she soon developed close relationships with the leading surrealist writers and painters, including Paul Eluard, Salvador Dali, Man Ray, and Max Ernst, who became her lover for a time. The only surrealist she could not abide because of his misogyny was André Breton. Although she repeatedly exhibited with them, she never considered herself a surrealist. The American dealer Julien Levy, very much impressed by Fini’s painting and smitten by her eccentric charms, invited her to New York in 1936, where she took part in a joint gallery exhibition with Max Ernst and met many American surrealists, including Joseph Cornell and Pavel Tchelitchew. Her work was included in MoMA’s pivotal Fantastic Art, Dada and Surrealism exhibition, along with De Chirico, Dali, Ernst, and Yves Tanguy. In 1939 in Paris she curated an exhibition of surrealist furniture for her childhood friend Leo Castelli for the opening of his first gallery. Introductions to her exhibition catalogues were written by De Chirico, Ernst, and Jean Cocteau. A predominant theme of Fini’s art is the complex relationship between the sexes, primarily the interplay between the dominant female and the passive, androgynous male. In many of her most powerful works, the female takes the form of a sphinx, often with the face of the artist. Fini was also an accomplished portraitist; among her subjects were Stanislao Lepri...
Category

1980s Modern Leonor Fini Art

Materials

Etching

Leonor Fini - Orgy - Original Handsigned Lithograph
By Leonor Fini
Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
Leonor Fini - Orgy - Original Handsigned Lithograph Circa 1982 On colored paper Handsigned and Numbered Edition: 275 Dimensions: 69 x 52.5 cm
Category

1980s Modern Leonor Fini Art

Materials

Lithograph

Portrait No. 7
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...
Category

20th Century Surrealist Leonor Fini Art

Materials

Paper, Lithograph

Leonor Fini - Purple Surrealist Cat - Original Etching
By Leonor Fini
Located in Collonge Bellerive, Geneve, CH
Leonor Fini - Cats - Original Engraving Mme.Helvetius' Cats Original etching created in 1985, Printed Signature (LF). Conditions: excellent Edition: 100 Support: Arches paper. Dimensions: Paper dimensions: 44 x 28 cm Editions: Moret, Paris. Leonor Fini is considered one of the most important women artists of the mid-twentieth century, along with Leonora Carrington, Frida Kahlo, Meret Oppenheim, Remedios Varo, and Dorothea Tanning – most of whom Fini knew well. Her career, which spanned some six decades, included painting, graphic design, book illustration, product design (the renowned torso-shaped perfume bottle for Schiaparelli’s Shocking), and set and costume design for theatre, ballet, opera, and film. In this compellingly readable, exhaustively researched account, author Peter Webb brings Fini’s provocative art and unconventional personal life, as well as the vibrant avant-garde world in which she revolved, vividly in life. Born in Buenos Aires in 1907 (August 30 – January 18, 1996, Paris) to Italian and Argentine parents, Leonor grew up in Trieste, Italy, raised by her strong-willed, independent mother, Malvina. She was a virtually self-taught artist, learing anatomy directly from studying cadavers in the local morgue and absorbing composition and technique from the Old Masters through books and visits to museums. Fini’s fledging attempts at painting in Trieste let her to Milan, where she participated in her first group exhibition in 1929, and then to Paris in 1931. Her vivacious personality and flamboyant attire instantly garnered her a spotlight in the Parisian art world and she soon developed close relationships with the leading surrealist writers and painters, including Paul Eluard, Salvador Dali, Man Ray, and Max Ernst, who became her lover for a time. The only surrealist she could not abide because of his misogyny was André Breton. Although she repeatedly exhibited with them, she never considered herself a surrealist. The American dealer Julien Levy, very much impressed by Fini’s painting and smitten by her eccentric charms, invited her to New York in 1936, where she took part in a joint gallery exhibition with Max Ernst and met many American surrealists, including Joseph Cornell and Pavel Tchelitchew. Her work was included in MoMA’s pivotal Fantastic Art, Dada and Surrealism exhibition, along with De Chirico, Dali, Ernst, and Yves Tanguy. In 1939 in Paris she curated an exhibition of surrealist furniture for her childhood friend Leo Castelli for the opening of his first gallery. Introductions to her exhibition catalogues were written by De Chirico, Ernst, and Jean Cocteau. A predominant theme of Fini’s art is the complex relationship between the sexes, primarily the interplay between the dominant female and the passive, androgynous male. In many of her most powerful works, the female takes the form of a sphinx, often with the face of the artist. Fini was also an accomplished portraitist; among her subjects were Stanislao Lepri...
Category

1980s Modern Leonor Fini Art

Materials

Etching

Fourgon
By Leonor Fini
Located in Columbia, MO
Leonor Fini was born in Argentina in 1907 but travelled and lived in Europe with her mother from a young age. By 1931, she was in Paris, in the full swing of the Surrealist movement....
Category

20th Century Surrealist Leonor Fini Art

Materials

Paper, Ink, Etching

Leonor Fini, Princess, circa 1970
By Leonor Fini
Located in Saint Ouen, FR
Titre : Leonor Fini, Princess, circa 1970 Texte : Rare print handsigned and numbered by surrealist artist Leonor Fini, inscreasingly esteemed with the movement of rediscovering art...
Category

1970s Leonor Fini Art

Materials

Paper

Nymph Crowns
By Leonor Fini
Located in Columbia, MO
Leonor Fini was born in Argentina in 1907 but travelled and lived in Europe with her mother from a young age. By 1931, she was in Paris, in the full swing of the Surrealist movement....
Category

Mid-20th Century Surrealist Leonor Fini Art

Materials

Etching

La Mort
By Leonor Fini
Located in Columbia, MO
Leonor Fini was born in Argentina in 1907 but travelled and lived in Europe with her mother from a young age. By 1931, she was in Paris, in the full swing of the Surrealist movement....
Category

20th Century Surrealist Leonor Fini Art

Materials

Paper, Ink

Untitled
By Leonor Fini
Located in Barcelona, BARCELONA
Includes a Certificate of Authenticity
Category

1970s Modern Leonor Fini Art

Materials

Lithograph

Untitled
By Leonor Fini
Located in Barcelona, BARCELONA
Includes a Certificate of Authenticity
Category

1970s Modern Leonor Fini Art

Materials

Lithograph

Untitled
By Leonor Fini
Located in Barcelona, BARCELONA
Includes a Certificate of Authenticity
Category

1970s Modern Leonor Fini Art

Materials

Lithograph

Composition, Parallèlement, Léonor Fini
By Leonor Fini
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Lithograph on grand vélin d'Arches paper. Inscription: unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. Good condition. Notes: from the folio, Parallèlement, Illustré de lithographies originales ...
Category

1960s Modern Leonor Fini Art

Materials

Lithograph

Composition, Parallèlement, Léonor Fini
By Leonor Fini
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Lithograph on grand vélin d'Arches paper. Inscription: unsigned and unnumbered, as issued. Good condition, with centerfold, as issued. Notes: from the folio, Parallèlement, Illustré ...
Category

1960s Modern Leonor Fini Art

Materials

Lithograph

Composition, Histoire d'O, Léonor Fini
By Leonor Fini
Located in Auburn Hills, MI
Lithograph on vélin d’Arches pur chiffon paper. Inscription: signed in the plate and unnumbered, as issued. Good condition. Notes: from the folio, L'Histoire d'O, 1962. Published and...
Category

1960s Modern Leonor Fini Art

Materials

Lithograph

Leonor Fini art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Leonor Fini art available for sale on 1stDibs. If you’re browsing the collection of art to introduce a pop of color in a neutral corner of your living room or bedroom, you can find work that includes elements of orange, yellow and other colors. You can also browse by medium to find art by Leonor Fini in lithograph, etching, paper and more. Much of the original work by this artist or collective was created during the 20th century and is mostly associated with the Surrealist style. Not every interior allows for large Leonor Fini art, so small editions measuring 5 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of André Masson, Max Ernst, and Roberto Matta. Leonor Fini art prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $66 and tops out at $400,000, while the average work can sell for $900.

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Questions About Leonor Fini Art
  • 1stDibs ExpertOctober 15, 2024
    The Surrealist painter Fini is Leonor Fini. 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 widely revered for their sensuous qualities and raw energy. Some of her most famous works include Little Hermit Sphinx, La Toilette Inutile, Woman Seated on a Naked Man and La Semaine de Bonté. Explore a variety of Leonor Fini art on 1stDibs.
  • 1stDibs ExpertAugust 29, 2024
    Yes, Leonor Fini was a Surrealist. Though she had no formal art education, Fini proved 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. She exhibited her work in many Parisian art galleries, including the gallery of Christian Dior, before the fashion icon became a designer. On 1stDibs, explore a variety of Leonor Fini art.

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