Leonor Fini: Portraits and Passagers
April 27–June 7, 2024
Leonor Fini Solo Exhibition
Curated by Kendy Genovese
Image: Leonor Fini. Portrait of Mrs. H I, 1942. Weinstein Gallery, San Francisco.
Weinstein Gallery
444 Clementina Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
+1-415-362-8151
Weinstein Gallery Website
Weinstein Gallery Instagram
Weinstein Gallery Hours
By Appointment Only
Overview
A painting is something like a spectacle, a theater piece in which each figure lives out her part. —Leonor Fini
Leonor Fini: Portraits and Passagers, curated by Kendy Genovese, features 24 works by Leonor Fini, with a focus on portraits, from 1939 to 1992.
“Within a few years of her arrival in Paris in 1933, Leonor Fini (1907–1996) established herself as a force of the avant-garde, having a solo show at the Julian Levy Gallery and exhibiting with the surrealists in the International Surrealist Exhibition at the New Burlington Galleries, London and in Fantastic Art, Dada, Surrealism at The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Recognized and respected as a painter of surreal and somewhat unsettling scenes, Fini took a turn in the mid-1930s and began to take a strong interest in portraiture. This would produce some of her most compelling compositions and prove quite fortuitous as a source of income throughout her life.”
Preview of Portraits and Passagers. Weinstein Gallery, San Francisco.
Fini’s body of work expresses unapologetic delight in female sensuality, and she lived as she painted. Bisexual and a polyamorous cat lover, which seems like no big deal today, the Argentine-Italian was eons ahead of her time, defying societal norms and living her best life with 23 Persian cats, 2 lovers, and an assistant.
During our meeting (which was the first curator meeting via robot I’ve had and very cool, BTW), Kendy emphasized Fini’s role as a working artist and how portrait commissions were a means of supporting herself. I agree with the significance of this; it’s just another testament to her progressive lifestyle.
The portraits in this show are such a beautiful example of Fini’s evolution as a painter. The later portraits (post 1950s) take on a Renaissance-like quality (Tête de femme and Rachel), which is quite a departure from her earlier style of painting (Portrait feminin no. 39 and Portrait de Mme Lucienne Domb). The strokes and medium (watercolor vs. oil) are looser, you can see she experiments with different background textures as well.
I dislike saying these works are haunting. I wanted to give her a more original and dramatic attribution. I’ve tried several times to think of another way to describe them and, yet “haunting” is what always comes to mind. Whether smiling, smirking, or still, she paints faces as if they are vapor—suspended in time and dimension.
I discovered Leonor Fini online early in the last decade. Her paintings are quintessentially surrealist, yet they are neither derivative nor cliché—a difficult balance to achieve in this genre, given that there are very few surrealist artists I personally enjoy.
I had not seen her work IRL prior to this show, which was even more dramatic experiencing in person than I had anticipated. Now I can truly say, she is one of my favorite artists. What a privilege being able to connect to one of the most important female artists of the 20th century. DO NOT MISS THIS SHOW!
🗓 Leonor Fini: Portraits and Passagers runs until June 7, 2024 at Weinstein Gallery in San Francisco’s SoMa neighborhood.
💌 Did you see the show? What did you think? Let us know in the comments (in the Reviews section located on the second tab at the top of the page).
Quick Guide: Weinstein Gallery
⭐ LOCATION: Weinstein Gallery is located at 444 Clementina Street between 5th and 6th streets (10 min walk from Powell Street Station) in San Francisco’s SoMa neighborhood.
⭐ HOURS: By Appointment.
⭐ NEARBY ART: American Bookbinders Museum (5 min walk/5 min drive)
⭐ NEARBY FOOD/DRINK: Bar and Bistro 888 – in the InterContinental Hotel (5 min walk/5 min drive), Tín Vietnamese Cuisine (5 min walk/4 min drive), Tempest – Casual bar serving lunch (6 min walk/4 min drive).
⭐ NEARBY SHOPPING: The Box SF Mercantile – Antique paper ephemera store (7 min walk/4 min drive).
💌 More nearby suggestions are always welcome. Feel free to add in the comments!
A LOVE LETTER TO ART RECOMMENDS
NEARBY ART
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Rasch, Rasch, Rasch, meine Puppen Warten, 1975 is one of my FAVORITE Leonor Fini Works.
Leonor Fini (Directed by Chris Vermorcken), 1987.
Author: ALoveLettertoArt
