Marais, Paris
Leonor Fini
Erotic Drawings
Atrata"I am convinced that in any creativity there exists the element of revolt." —Leonor Fini Gil Presti is pleased to present Erotic Drawings by Leonor Fini. Leonor Fini, an artist of Argentinian and Italian origin who moved to Paris in the 1930s, cultivated a taste for erotism both in her life and work, creating an aura of mystery and presenting a dreamlike, fantastical vision of the body and intimate pleasures. While preserving her artistic independence, she was close to the Surrealists and considered herself androgynous, rejecting preconceived notions of what a woman artist should be. With "her physical beauty, her art and her legions of lovers whose names read like a roll call of the literary and artistic talents of that brilliant age" (The London Times), she became a legendary figure of female emancipation and sexuality. During her lifetime, Leonor Fini was the subject of retrospective exhibitions in Belgium (1965), Italy (1983), Japan (1972-73, 1985-86), and France (1986). Posthumous retrospectives were also held at institutions in Italy (2005, 2009), Japan (2005), Germany (1997-98), and Sweden (2014). In 2021, her work was featured in the exhibition Surrealism Beyond Borders at Tate Modern in London. In 2022, Leonor Fini work was included in a historical section of the 59th Venice Biennale. Her work will also be part of the upcoming exhibition Le Surréalisme D’abord et Toujours at Centre Pompidou, opening in September 2024. Furthermore, a retrospective exhibition dedicated to her figure will be held at the Musée de l’Art Moderne de Paris in 2026-2027. Leonor Fini's work form part of the collections of: Centre Pompidou, Paris; Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris, France; Art Institute of Chicago, Illinois; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Venice; Tate Modern, London, McNay Art Museum, San Antonio, Texas; Miyazaki Prefectural Art Museum, Japan; Musée de Grenoble, France; Museo Revoltella, Trieste, Italy; and Museum of Modern Art, Brussels, among others.