NEW YORK, NY.- Leonor Fini (1907–1996) was a singular figure in 20th-century art, known for her refusal to conform— whether to artistic movements, societal expectations, or gender norms. Though often associated with the Surrealists, she distanced herself from the group, rejecting André Breton’s rigid dogma and his tendency to reduce women to passive muses. Nevertheless, she was one of the few women included in the landmark 1936 International Surrealist Exhibition in London, alongside artists such as Salvador Dalí and Max Ernst. Unlike many of her male contemporaries, she did not see the unconscious as a realm of male dominance but rather as a space of fluid identities, shifting power, and self-possession.
Fini’s work was deeply thematic, returning obsessively to certain recurring figures: sphinxes, feline creatures, skeletons, sorceresses, and ambiguous androgynous beings. Among these, the small-scale face held a privileged place in her iconography. Faces in her art were rarely fixed or stable; instead, they often appeared in transformation, layered with multiple expressions, or dissolving into spectral forms. These small portraits—whether delicate, ghostly sketches or intense, highly stylized studies—offered a psychological depth that belied their modest size.
By the late 1920s, Fini had left her native Trieste for Paris, where she quickly became immersed in the city’s vibrant artistic and literary circles. Unlike many female artists of the period, who struggled for recognition in a male-dominated scene, Fini established herself as an equal among Surrealist giants such as Paul Éluard, Man Ray, and Georges Bataille. Her personal life became the subject of fascination: she rejected monogamy, preferring to live in a menagerie-like household with multiple lovers, friends, and dozens of cats. This refusal to conform extended to her art; even as Surrealism became increasingly defined by Freudian analysis and automatism, Fini remained committed to an art that was both highly controlled and psychologically rich.
Her work on paper was an essential part of this practice. Unlike her large oil paintings, which often depicted grand, theatrical scenes, her small drawings and sketches were spaces of introspection. They reveal an artist attuned to subtle emotional states, capable of rendering intense expressions with just a few delicate lines. The mediums she favored—ink, red chalk, graphite— allowed for an intimacy and immediacy that contrasted with the lush opulence of her canvases. These materials also echoed her admiration for Old Masters, particularly Leonardo da Vinci and Parmigianino, whose drawings demonstrated a similar fascination with ambiguity and transformation.
Though frequently overshadowed by her larger works, Fini’s small-scale drawings offer a profound insight into her artistic vision. They embody her lifelong preoccupations with metamorphosis, identity, and the fluid boundary between reality and dream. This exhibition brings together a selection of these lesser-known but crucial works, demonstrating that even in the most intimate formats, Fini’s art retains its force: complex, unsettling, and utterly hypnotic.
The exhibition is on view from April 7 to May 24 at Nagas’ new space located at 47 W 28th St. Built in 1852, 47 W 28th St is a New York City Landmark and a key site in the history of Tin Pan Alley, where icons like Irving Berlin, Duke Ellington, and George Gershwin helped shape American music. A century later, creativity persisted as Galeria Nara Roesler opened on the 2nd floor, becoming the first Brazilian art gallery in New York. Now, Nagas takes over the space, opening a new chapter in its artistic legacy.
