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Leonor Fini, Lithograph, Woman with Flowers
€4,500
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ProfessionalSaint-Didier, FranceOn Whoppah since January 2022 • 9 sales
Product description
Leonor Fini, Woman in a Surreal Interior (rare screen print)
Rare screen print on Rives Wove paper, hand-signed and numbered by the surrealist artist Leonor Fini, now rediscovered and increasingly appreciated as part of the movement to rediscover female art. This print depicts a woman in a surreal interior, in front of a table with glasses, with an Art Nouveau flower-shaped chandelier and, behind her, a door full of secrets and mysteries. Beyond the creative and surreal dimension of the composition, this work reminds us that Leonor Fini was inspired throughout her life by historical paintings and that she loved to play with intericonicity (i.e., when an image refers, obviously or subtly, to another famous image that the public already knows): here, with her flowers in her hair and her table laden with glasses, this woman reminds us of one of the most emblematic compositions of the Renaissance, Caravaggio's "Bacchus" preserved in Florence, at the Uffizi Gallery. This work is one of the most beautiful and enigmatic compositions created by Leonor Fini. Dimensions: 75 x 54 cm. With the artist's stamp (a cat's head) and a certificate of authenticity signed by Leonor Fini. Very good condition.
Leonor Fini — A Major Artist of the 20th Century
Leonor Fini is considered one of the most important female artists of the mid-20th century, alongside Leonora Carrington, Frida Kahlo, Meret Oppenheim, Remedios Varo, and Dorothea Tanning, most of whom she knew personally.
Opening of her first gallery.
The introductory texts for her exhibition catalogs were notably written by Giorgio de Chirico, Max Ernst, and Jean Cocteau.
A Singular Artistic Universe
One of the predominant themes in Leonor Fini's work is the complexity of gender relations, and more particularly the relationship between a dominant woman and a passive, androgynous man.
In many of her most powerful works, the female figure takes on the appearance of a sphinx, often endowed with the artist's own features.
Fini is also an accomplished portrait painter.
Among her models are Stanislao Lepri and Constantin Jelenski, two of her long-time companions with whom she lived simultaneously, surrounded by more than a dozen cats.
She also painted portraits of many personalities from her circle:
- The writer Jean Genet.
- The actresses Brigitte Bardot, María Félix, Maria Casarès, Anna Magnani, Alida Valli, and Suzanne Flon.
- The prima ballerina Margot Fonteyn.
- The filmmaker Luchino Visconti.
- The artists Meret Oppenheim and Leonora Carrington.
- The socialites Francesca Ruspoli and Hélène Rochas.
Theater, Opera, and Cinema
Leonor Fini's passion for creating sets and costumes for stage and screen probably originated from her taste for extravagant masks, sophisticated costumes, and fantastic staging.
She created award-winning sets, costumes, and posters for many prestigious productions, including:
- The Paris Opera and the Metropolitan Opera.
- George Balanchine's Crystal Palace, now titled Symphony in C.
- Jean Anouilh's The Young Ladies of Night.
- Renato Castellani's Romeo and Juliet.
- Richard Wagner's Tannhäuser.
- Jean Racine's Bérénice.
- Jean Genet's The Maids and The Balcony.
- Federico Fellini's Eight and a Half.
- John Huston's A Walk with Love and Death, Anjelica Huston's first film.
A Fascinating and Controversial Personality
Talented, glamorous, and provocative, Leonor Fini herself became a source of inspiration for many artists in her circle.
She was frequently the subject of poems and photographs by personalities such as Charles Henri Ford, Paul Éluard, Georges Hugnet, Erwin Blumenfeld, Dora Maar, Man Ray, George Platt Lynes, Lee Miller, Horst P. Horst, Brassaï, Cecil Beaton, and Henri Cartier-Bresson.
Through her work and her life, Leonor Fini embodied a form of artistic and personal freedom exceptional for her time, rejecting social conventions, artistic classifications, and traditionally assigned roles for women.
Traces of wear: minimal
Specifications
CategoryLithographs & printsConditionVery goodColorsGreen, Multi Color, Brown, Gold, White, Red, BlueMaterialPaperNumber of items1StyleSurrealismOrientationPortraitArt sizeMediumHeight74 cmWidth54 cmSeller locationSaint-Didier, FranceDelivery optionsDelivery or pickup
Seller information
About this seller
ProfessionalSaint-Didier, FranceOn Whoppah since January 2022 • 9 sales