Leonor Fini (1907-1996), Playing checkers
Color lithograph on paper
Signature: p.d. "Leonor Fini"
Dry stamp: l.d. embossed cat's head
Numbering: 46/275
Dimensions: 54 × 73 cm
Maintained in cool, pearl-green tones, the work depicts two stylized female figures playing a game of checkers against a background of ornamental arabesque decoration. The monumental figure on the right - naked, serene and dignified - contrasts with the stooped, veiled silhouette of the girl or younger woman on the left. The composition evokes a fairy-tale atmosphere and Fini's characteristic element of psychological tension and subtle domination. The artist's style - on the verge of classical realism, surrealism and theatrical imagination - is fully revealed here.
Condition: very good, lithograph on high quality paper with visible dry publisher's stamp.
Estimate: 2,800 - 4,000 PLN
(based on sales of Leonor Fini's works in similar formats, editions and state of preservation; catalog prices in European galleries reach €800-1,200)
Leonor Fini (1907-1996)
Argentine-Italian-French painter, graphic artist, set designer and designer, one of the most interesting figures of 20th-century Surrealism - although she did not identify herself with this trend. Born in Buenos Aires and raised in Trieste, she made her artistic debut in Milan and her career developed in Paris, where she revolved around Paul Éluard, Max Ernst, Salvador Dali, Jean Genet or Cartier-Bresson.
She created paintings, prints and illustrations, which were dominated by themes of female independence, sexuality and mysticism. Fascinated by mythology and theater, she designed costumes and sets for plays and films. Her works - full of symbolism and eroticism - are distinguished by their dreamy atmosphere, sensuality and extraordinary precision of drawing. She led an intense social and artistic life, remaining to this day an icon not only of art, but also of the emancipation of the female gaze in 20th century culture.
