Leonor Fini

Leonor Fini (1907–1996) was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and raised in Trieste, Italy. She spent much of her life in Paris, where she became closely associated with the Surrealist movement, though she resisted being formally aligned with any group. Fini is best known for her fantastical, often erotic paintings that explore themes of female power, myth, transformation, and the unconscious. Working primarily in oil, drawing, and costume design, her imagery frequently featured powerful women, sphinxes, and androgynous figures—challenging gender norms and traditional representations of femininity. Though not officially a Surrealist, she exhibited alongside key figures such as Max Ernst and Salvador Dalí, and her work has been collected by major institutions including the Museum of Modern Art (New York), the Centre Pompidou (Paris), and the Tate (London). Fini also gained acclaim for her work in theatre and opera costume design, notably in collaboration with writers like Jean Genet. In recent years, her market has seen renewed interest, with a growing number of exhibitions and secondary market sales, suggesting an increasingly liquid market for her work. She is now recognised as a significant figure in 20th-century art, particularly within feminist and Surrealist contexts.