Praise for Sphinx:

“Fêted for her paintings, illustrations, theatre designs and, above all, her flamboyant bohemian lifestyle.”

~ The Sunday Telegraph: Stella Magazine

 

“In this readable, exhaustively researched and eloquent book, she (Leonor Fini) has found her ideal biographer.”

~ Mary Abbe, Star Tribune

 

“One of the most flamboyantly potent female artists of the mid-20th century—outspoken, provocative and willfully contrary.”

~Rachel Campbell-Johnston, The London Times

“A sort of female Dalí—colourful, extravagant, as famous in her heyday for her personal appearance as her art.”

~ Malkin Towers Media blog

 

“This opulent tome befits her perfectly.” ~ Grazia

 

“Dreamlike paintings.” ~ ELuxury

 

“One of those artists whose life may have been her greatest work.” ~ The Philadelphia Inquirer

 

“Glamorous Surrealist.” ~ Vogue

 

“A sensuous celebration of female sexuality.” ~ Dangerous Minds

 

“Her story is certainly fantastic.” ~ Spectator

 

“Compellingly individual.” ~ Bloomberg.com

 

“A fascinating subject.” ~ The Art Newspaper

 

“Gorgeous.” ~ Nothing Elegant blog

 

“A wonderful visual survey of an extraordinary career.” ~ The Independent

 

“Exquisite.” ~ The Vintage Academe Blog

 

“This book is an amazing testimony to her (Leonor Fini's) prolific work and abilities as a painter of highly imaginative scenes.”

~ THE Magazine

 

Talented, glamorous, and controversial, Leonor Fini (1907-1996) was one of the most influential women artists of the mid-twentieth century. From her opulent, bohemian childhood in Trîeste, to her debut in a group exhibition at the age of seventeen, to her life in Paris and prominent place in the international art world—is stunningly depicted by Peter Webb, an art historian and Fini’s close friend, in this lavish volume. Vibrant full-color plates of her paintings and period photographs of the artist, her friends, and contemporaries offer a rich accompaniment to the text.

Leonor Fini was legendary for both her vivacious personality and her provocative subjects. She developed close relationships with the Surrealists and and other avant-garde artists and writers including Giorgio de Chirico, Joseph Cornell, Jean Genet, Meret Oppenheim, Leonora Carrington, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Salvador Dalí, Man Ray, and Max Ernst. Central themes of Fini’s art—sphinxes, felines, priestesses, and nudes—are bold proclamations of female sexuality that make a powerful contribution to surrealism as well as to feminist art theory . In addition to her paintings, Fini was renowned for her theatrical set designs, costumes, and posters. Photographs in Sphinx depict these works as well.

From early childhood sketchbooks to paintings created throughout her career to captivating photographs—including Henri Cartier-Bresson’s nude portrait of Fini in a pool, which recently sold at auction for a record sum—Sphinx offers a fascinating portrait of a magnetic woman who lived her life with panache and elegance, deftly wrapping drama into her art.