A long-overlooked female artist is finally receiving the recognition she deserves.Nearly three decades after her passing, the captivating and often gender-bending works of Leonor Fini are drawing renewed attention. Featured among the artists at this year’s Art Basel fair in Miami, the Weinstein Gallery from San Francisco, in collaboration with Paris’ Galerie Minsky, is showcasing a collection of Fini’s most significant pieces.
Overlooked
Born in Argentina and later relocating to Italy as a child, Fini outlived many of her contemporaries, including prominent Surrealist artists like Max Ernst, Salvador Dalí, and René Magritte, passing away in 1996 at the age of 89.
While now recognized as part of the Surrealist movement, gallery owner Rowland Weinstein emphasizes that Fini was not solely a Surrealist painter but a “pure creator” akin to Picasso. He notes her versatility and genius across various domains, including theater, design, and costume design.
Despite lacking formal training, Fini honed her artistic skills by sketching cadavers at a local morgue. Starting her career in Italy, she later moved to Paris, where she developed artistic and occasionally romantic connections with Surrealist figures such as Ernst, Dalí, Leonora Carrington, and Man Ray.
Fini faced challenges within the Surrealist community, with movement founder André Breton resisting the inclusion of women as Surrealists. However, Fini’s impact extended beyond art, as she immersed herself in stage and costume design for theater and opera during the 1950s and 1960s, even contributing to Federico Fellini’s film 8½.
Known for her flamboyant and eccentric persona, Fini remained an active artist for an impressive six decades, leaving an indelible mark on the Paris art scene. She maintained a close relationship with her art dealer, Arlette Souhami, who describes Fini as overwhelming, opinionated, and fascinating.
Fini’s personal life was as remarkable as her art, living in a non-traditional relationship with two men in Paris. Souhami attributes Fini’s fluid approach to gender identity to her childhood experiences, where her mother disguised her as a boy to protect her from her father in a custody dispute.
Recent years have seen a surge in interest in Fini’s work among collectors and museums, with one of her paintings fetching $2.3 million last year. While fascination with her personal life persists, art historian Tere Arcq emphasizes that Fini’s art goes beyond eroticism and explores a broader spectrum of themes.
Quoting Fini, Weinstein highlights the inseparability of her art and life. With two major exhibitions in the works, the art world is poised to delve deeper into the multifaceted legacy of Leonor Fini.
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