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Leonor Fini Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

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
Face and Flowers
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....
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20th Century Surrealist Leonor Fini Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Etching

Face III - Ink on Paper Unique Signed Drawing Surrealist Woman Painter, c. 1960
By Leonor Fini
Located in New York, NY
Leonor Fini Face III, ca. 1960 Ink on paper 11 x 8.5 cm 4 1/3 x 3 1/8 in. 23 x 20 cm 9 x 7 7/8 in. (Frame included) Unique work Exhibition History: Leonor Fini: Small Faces, April...
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1960s Surrealist Leonor Fini Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Ink

"Double Portraits" Surrealist Lithograph by Leonor Fini
By Leonor Fini
Located in Pasadena, CA
Leonor Fini defies notions of time and space, inviting us to contemplate existence and its mysteries. The artist has been painting all her life. She is distinguished by a surreal and...
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1960s Surrealist Leonor Fini Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Lithograph

Sorcière - Ink on Paper Unique Signed Drawing Surrealist Woman Painter, c. 1960
By Leonor Fini
Located in New York, NY
Leonor Fini La Sorcière, ca. 1960 Ink on paper 21 x 15.5 cm 8 1/4 x 5 7/8 in. 41.5 x 36 cm 16 1/8 x 14 1/8 in. (Frame included) Unique work Exhibition History: Leonor Fini: Small ...
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1960s Surrealist Leonor Fini Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Ink

Face II - Ink on Paper Unique Signed Drawing Surrealist Woman Painter, c. 1960
By Leonor Fini
Located in New York, NY
Leonor Fini Face II, ca. 1960 Ink on paper 11 x 8.5 cm 4 1/3 x 3 1/8 in. 23 x 20 cm 9 x 7 7/8 in. (Frame included) Unique work Exhibition History: Leonor Fini: Small Faces, April ...
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1960s Surrealist Leonor Fini Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Ink

Character - Ink on Paper Unique Signed Drawing Surrealist Woman Painter, c. 1960
By Leonor Fini
Located in New York, NY
Leonor Fini Character, ca. 1960 Ink on paper 14 x 11 cm 5 1/2 x 4 1/3 in. 29 x 26 cm 11 1/2 x 10 1/4 in. (Frame included) Unique work Exhibition history: Leonor Fini: Small Faces,...
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1960s Surrealist Leonor Fini Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Ink

Nude women - Ink on Paper Unique Signed Drawing Surrealist Woman Painter, 1965
By Leonor Fini
Located in New York, NY
Leonor Fini Nude women, ca. 1965 Ink on paper 13 × 13 in l 33 × 33 cm Frame included - 18 x 18 in l 46 x 46 cm Signed lower right Condition: Excellent condition
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1960s Surrealist Leonor Fini Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Ink, Laid Paper

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...
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1960s Surrealist Leonor Fini Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Ink, Graphite

Face - Ink on Paper Unique Signed Drawing Surrealist Woman Painter, c. 1960
By Leonor Fini
Located in New York, NY
Leonor Fini Face, ca. 1960 Ink on paper 9 x 11 cm 3 1/2 x 4 1/3 in. 28 x 30 cm 11 x 11 7/8 in. (Frame included) Unique work Exhibition History: Leonor Fini: Small Faces, April 7 -...
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1960s Surrealist Leonor Fini Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Ink

Blue and Green Face (Visage Bleu et Vert)
By Leonor Fini
Located in London, GB
Signed Watercolour and gouache on paper 16 x 12 inches
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1940s Leonor Fini Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Watercolor, Gouache

Cat Amongst Flowers (Chat aux Fleurs)
By Leonor Fini
Located in London, GB
Signed Ink and watercolour on paper 10 x 6 1/2 inches
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1970s Leonor Fini Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Ink, Watercolor

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untitled (Woman and Cat)
By Mary Spain
Located in Fairlawn, OH
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20th Century Surrealist Leonor Fini Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

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Modern Figurative Surrealist Watercolor Painting, Drawing 'Prince of Innocence'
By Gary Hansmann
Located in Surfside, FL
Angelic boy with a devil figure. Gary Hansmann (1947-2008) was active/lived in California. He is known for abstract, Surrealism figure painting. Gary William Hansmann was born Dec. 4, 1940, in San Diego to Ethel May Williams and Lester Hughes Hansmann. He grew up in Encinitas and served in the Army in the early 1960s. Gary Hansmann, San Diego artist, teacher and gallery owner, was known for his Surrealist drawings and graphics. He spent time working in Paris and exhibiting his art throughout Europe, but San Diego was home until he moved to Washington state. His life partner was fellow artist, Jill Hosmer. Mr. Hansmann, a respected printmaker and prolific artist, created thousands of drawings, prints and paintings as well as hundreds of poems. His interest in bullfighting led to a book of poetry and illustrations on the subject, “La Corrida, The Run”, a collection of poetry & artwork written as he was preparing for his first bullfight. Prologue written by famous Mexican Matador Antonio Lomelin. The book is written in English and translated into Spanish on opposing pages and was published in 1983. Mr. Hansmann taught intaglio and monotype at the Academy of Fine Arts in San Diego from 1977 to 1980 and at the San Diego Museum of Art in 1980. He also gave lectures and demonstrations throughout the art community, including at the San Diego Art Guild in Del Mar and Artist Equity in San Diego. Although he attended Palomar College in San Marcos and studied lithography at the San Diego Academy of Fine Arts, Mr. Hansmann was mostly self-taught and self-educated. Mr. Hansmann had shows in several art-world capitals, including Paris; Lisbon, Portugal; Cologne, Germany; Brussels, Belgium; and New York. he had one-person exhibits at the Loft Gallery in Clarkston, the Lewis-Clark State College Center of Arts & History, the Carnegie Art Center in Walla Walla and the Valley Art Center in Clarkston. During his long, distinguished career as an artist he had numerous one-person exhibits all over the world and the United States. His group shows are too numerous to mention, but his one-person exhibits were in Koln, Germany; Bruxelles, Belgium; Paris, France; Viana do Castelo, Portugal; Lisbon, Portugal; Tecate, Mexico; and British Columbia, Canada; and many states at home. Palomar College, San Marcos, Calif. San Diego Academy of Fine Arts Brooklyn Museum, Brooklyn, N.Y. University of Southern California, Idyllwild (ISOMATA) University of San Diego San Diego Museum of Art James Copley Library, La Jolla, Calif. Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana, Venice, Italy Centre de Arte Moderna Gulbenkian Foundation, Lisbon, Portugal Museo Taurino de la Communidad de Madrid, Madrid, Spain Atelier Lacouriere et Frelaut, Paris, France Gordon Gilkey Collection Portland Art Museum, Portland, Or. Coos Art Museum, Coos Bay...
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1980s Surrealist Leonor Fini Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, India Ink, Watercolor

Mercurio / Mercury
Located in Middletown, NY
A lovely, early drawing of the Roman god Mercury. Pen and brown ink on cream laid paper, with a partial crown and shield watermark, 7 1/4 x 4 7/8 inches (184x 123 mm) (matrix). In go...
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Mid-18th Century Old Masters Leonor Fini Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Ink, Handmade Paper, Laid Paper

Modern Figurative Surrealism Watercolor Painting, Drawing - Women On The Beach
By Gary Hansmann
Located in Surfside, FL
Gary Hansmann (1947-2008) was active/lived in California. He is known for abstract, Surrealism figure painting. Gary William Hansmann was born Dec. 4, 1940, in San Diego to Ethel May...
Category

Late 20th Century Surrealist Leonor Fini Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, India Ink, Watercolor

Teaching of Latin - Ink Drawing - Mid-20th Century
Located in Roma, IT
Teaching of Latin is an original drawing realized by an italian surrealist artist of Mid-20th century. The drawing is in good conditions on a yellowed paper, no signature and hatche...
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Mid-20th Century Surrealist Leonor Fini Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Ink, Paper

Man with Telephone - Surrealist Black and White Portrait in Ink on Paper
Located in Soquel, CA
Man with Telephone - Surrealist Black and White Portrait in Ink on Paper Surrealist composition by an unknown artist (20th Century). A man dressed in a su...
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21st Century and Contemporary Surrealist Leonor Fini Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, India Ink, Pen, Pencil

Original Dora Maar, (Picasso's muse) fine ink drawing of a reverent saint, 1998
By Dora Maar
Located in Petworth, West Sussex
This is a beautiful and fine avant-garde finished drawing of a reverent saint by the French female artist, Dora Maar. Dora Maar was a distinctive artist in her own right marked by s...
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20th Century Surrealist Leonor Fini Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

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The Sacred Flying Chariot -Drawing - 1937
Located in Roma, IT
The Sacred Flying Chariot is an ink drawing and collage on paper realized by an anonymous surrealist artist in 1937. Monogrammed "P.B." on the lower and dated and hand-note on the r...
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1930s Surrealist Leonor Fini Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Ink

La Dame Queteuse
By Jean Cocteau
Located in Petworth, West Sussex
Jean Cocteau (French, 1889-1963) La Dame Queteuse Ink on paper Signed, inscribed and dated `La Dame Queteuse Jean 1922’ (below) 10.1/4 x 7.7/8 in. (26 x 20 cm...
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Early 20th Century Surrealist Leonor Fini Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Ink

La Dame Queteuse
La Dame Queteuse
H 10.25 in W 7.88 in D 1 in
Que Font Ces Gens - Ink Drawing by Salvador Dalì - 1945
By Salvador Dalí­
Located in Roma, IT
Que font ces gens is a beautiful modern artwork realized by Salvador Dalì in 1945. China Ink Drawing on paper. Original outstanding drawing realized to illustrate the book "The Labyrinth" by Maurice Sandoz, published in 1945. Signed and dated on the lower right recto. Executed on thick cream wove paper, not laid down and taped to the mount along the upper edge. The upper, right and lower edges are slightly unevenly cut. There are two pinholes towards the upper right and upper left corners. The sheet is time stained and there is a spot of foxing beneath the lower edge of the drawing. There are some remnants from previous mounting at the upper two corners not visible when framed. There are handling marks to the perimeter of the sheet. The ink is strong and well preserved. The artwork is accompanied by authentication of Robert P. Descharnes, Paris 2003, reference archive: D-3461. Prov. Sotheby's Impressionist & Modern Art Sale...
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1940s Surrealist Leonor Fini Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Ink

Fresh Sketch - Red Ink Drawing by Wifredo Lam - 1970
By Wifredo Lam
Located in Roma, IT
Wonderful fresh sketch in red ink on an ivory-colored paper, with an autograph dedication "Per Pino Fasio amicia Pittore Wifredo Lam Albissola 1970" . Dated and signed in red ink. V...
Category

1970s Surrealist Leonor Fini Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Ink

Scarecrow with Nesting Birds
Located in Santa Cruz, CA
Signed lower right, 'Aiwa' and dated 1996. A substantial, pen and ink and watercolor figural study of a scarecrow dressed in cap, ragged jacket and vest with a pair of birds perche...
Category

1990s Surrealist Leonor Fini Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Paper, Ink, Watercolor

Previously Available Items
Carmilla by Leonor Fini - Lithograph 31x35 cm
By Leonor Fini
Located in Geneva, CH
Edition 126 of 297 1 copy Work on paper Light brown wooden frame with glass pane 68 x 55 x 1,5 cm Leonor Fini, pseudonym of Eleonor Fini, born in Buenos Aires (Argentina) on August ...
Category

Late 20th Century Academic Leonor Fini Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Lithograph

Girl’s face
By Leonor Fini
Located in London, GB
LEONOR FINI 1908-1996 Buenos Aires 1908-1996 Paris Title: Girl’s face Technique: Original Signed Watercolour Drawing on Paper Size: 39.6 x 32.3 cm. / 15.6 x 12.7 in. Add...
Category

Early 20th Century Surrealist Leonor Fini Drawings and Watercolor Paintings

Materials

Watercolor

Girl’s face
Girl’s face
H 15.6 in W 12.72 in

Leonor Fini drawings and watercolor paintings for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Leonor Fini drawings and watercolor paintings available for sale on 1stDibs. You can also browse by medium to find art by Leonor Fini in lithograph and more. Not every interior allows for large Leonor Fini drawings and watercolor paintings, so small editions measuring 13 inches across are available. Customers who are interested in this artist might also find the work of Jean Baptiste Édouard Detaille, Ben Fenske, and Robert Ladou. Leonor Fini drawings and watercolor paintings prices can differ depending upon medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $1,500 and tops out at $1,500, while the average work can sell for $1,500.
Questions About Leonor Fini Drawings and Watercolor Paintings
  • 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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