West, London
Leonor Fini & Aleksandra Waliszewska
La Mort de L’amour
Lévy Gorvy DayanLévy Gorvy Dayan is proud to present La Mort de L’amour and Ménage à Trois, two provocative and unprecedented exhibitions uniting the visionary work of Leonor Fini (1907–1996) and contemporary Polish artist Aleksandra Waliszewska (b. 1976). This marks the first major presentation of a large ensemble of paintings by Fini in London since 1967—a rare opportunity to rediscover her subversive legacy alongside one of today’s most compelling painters. On the first floor of the gallery’s storied Mayfair townhouse (formerly the Empress Club), La Mort de L’amour features important paintings by Fini and Waliszewska in dialogue. On the ground floor, Ménage à Trois presents Fini and Waliszewska alongside Stanislao Lepri (1905–1980), whose work expands on their shared themes while also constituting a meaningful connection to Fini. Lepri was one of Fini’s two great loves, and she lived with him in a polyamorous relationship for four decades. These presentations crucially underscore the agency of two women artists whose iconographies center on female desire and human mortality. Organized by Victoria Gelfand-Magalhaes (President, Europe) and curated by feminist art historian Alison M. Gingeras, La mort de l’amour and Ménage à trois invite viewers to witness a transgressive dialogue that blurs the boundaries between reality, fantasy, and delirium. A legendary presence in Paris for most of her career, Leonor Fini was born in Argentina and spent her childhood and adolescence in Italy. In the early 1930s, she moved to Paris and became associated with the Surrealist group, although she openly rejected membership. “I have never obeyed the dictates of the Surrealists,” she wrote, choosing instead her own path. Her paintings, rendered in a range of styles, consist of dream-like realms and lyrical reveries steeped in beauty. Fini has long been a significant source of inspiration for Aleksandra Waliszewska. With a career spanning three decades, Waliszewska has emerged as one of the most prominent contemporary artists from Eastern Europe, combining influences from the Old Masters, fin de siècle Symbolism, and Slavic literature. Echoing Fini’s work, Waliszewska’s oeuvre is centered upon images of powerful women, mythological creatures, potent sexual desire, alchemy, and witchcraft.