SAN FRANCISCO, CALIF.- Weinstein Gallery is presenting Leonor Fini: Portraits and Passagers, an exhibition of the artist's distinguished body of work in portraiture from 1939 to 1992. Exemplified in twenty-four carefully curated paintings and works on paper, this presentation explores the multifaceted nature of identity through Fini's discerning gaze.
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 & 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.
From the elite and socially privileged she painted in Monte Carlo during World War II to the ghostly and enigmatic "Passagers series" of the 1980s and 1990s, Fini employed her remarkable skill as a classical painter with new, unconventional techniques of her own making. She breathed life into her subjects, capturing not just their physical likeness but also their innermost essence. Each portrait is a microcosm of the human experience, inviting viewers to consider the complexities of self-hood and subjectivity.
"We are honored to present Leonor Fini: Portraits and Passagers and hope to deepen the understanding and appreciation of Fini's contributions to the genre of portraiture," remarked owner Rowland Weinstein. "Fini's ability to imbue her subjects with psychological depth and existential resonance speaks to the enduring relevance of her work in contemporary discourse."
Leonor Fini: Portraits and Passengers is a rich tapestry of psychological introspection and socio-cultural commentary. The exhibition invites visitors to encounter the diverse characters that populate Fini's real and imagined worlds.
Leonor Fini (1907-1996) is considered one of the most important woman artists of the twentieth century – though she rejected the label of "woman artist" – and one of the most misunderstood. Frequently labeled a Surrealist, she was never a member of that group or movement. The originality of her art, as well as her intelligence, famous wit, and charisma, accorded her celebrity status in the Paris art world and beyond beginning in the late 1930s. Often eclipsing and even compromising her standing as a significant artist was the originality and impact of her personal style. Once they found a place in the collective imagination of the time, her panache and glamour turned her into a much-publicized fashion and feminist icon. Always controversial, with as many detractors as admirers, she lived and painted consummately on her terms.
The predominant themes in Leonor Fini's art are sexual tensions, mysteries, and games. One of her favored subject is the interplay between the dominant female and the passive male. In many of her most powerful works, the female takes the form of the sphinx. She was also a renowned portraitist, and among her subjects were such friends as writers André Pieyre de Mandargues, Jean Genet, such actresses as Anna Magnani and Suzanne Flon, ballerina Margot Fonteyn, film director Luchino Visconti, and artists Meret Oppenheim and Leonora Carrington.
Weinstein Gallery was established in 1992 and specializes in non-objective and surrealist art from pre-war Europe through the New York school and abstract expressionism. The gallery represents the estates of Rudolf Bauer and Juanita Guccione. It is recognized for its commitment to the women of the surrealist movement with an extensive collection of Leonor Fini and signature works by Leonora Carrington, Kay Sage, Stella Snead, Remedios Varo, and Dorothea Tanning.
In addition, the gallery is dedicated to the rediscovery of many important artists who have been marginalized in art history and whose significant talents and contributions deserve renewed scholarship and attention. Among them are Enrico Donati, Jimmy Ernst, Gordon Onslow Ford, Gerome Kamrowski, and Kurt Seligmann. The gallery's carefully curated exhibitions, scholarly publications, and numerous loans to museums and public institutions support these artists' legacies.
Weinstein Gallery was founded by Rowland Weinstein on the basic belief that art should be accessible to everyone, not intimidating and exclusive but inviting, engaging, and enlivening. The gallery welcomes the first-time collector as well as the connoisseur and provides a full-service art advisory, including in-home design and art placement, framing, and logistical expertise.
After 25 years in San Francisco's Union Square, the gallery relocated to a 4,500-square-foot industrial warehouse in the South of Market district in March 2020. This new multidisciplinary space was created to facilitate the gallery's mission to present our collectors with an exceptional collection of the highest quality and historical importance and provide a space within the local community to celebrate and share the transformative power of art through reflection and connection.
