Leonor Fini – Self-Portrait, original silkscreen print, signed and numbered N/Z

Leonor Fini – Self-Portrait: The Mask and the Gaze

Self-portraiture is a rare exercise for him. Leonor FiniShe who spent her life painting sphinxes, goddesses, and hybrid creatures rarely depicted herself—and never in a frontal or conventional manner. original silkscreen print by Leonor Fini, produced circa 1970 and numbered N/Z in a print run of 26 copies, offers a fascinating exception to this rule.

The artist depicts himself wearing floral-shaped glasses, an accessory both real and fantastical, functioning like a mask. His gaze, filtered through these floral screens, is simultaneously present and elusive: Fini reveals himself while simultaneously concealing himself. This is a mise en abyme typical of his world, where identity is always a game, a disguise, a metamorphosis in progress. The harmonious and muted palette reinforces the enigmatic nature of the composition, recalling in places the chromatic universe of Odilon Redon and his symbolist pastels.

An artist who portrays herself as a sphinx

Leonor Fini, born in Buenos Aires in 1907 and died in Paris in 1996, traversed the 20th century as a free spirit within Surrealism. Close to Dalí, Cocteau, and Max Ernst, she never accepted the label of "surrealist woman"—rejecting the subordinate position that the movement too often reserved for female artists. Her work, populated by sovereign female figures, totemic felines, and dreamlike scenes, is a constant affirmation of independence. This self-portrait is the most direct demonstration of this: Fini doesn't reveal herself, she stages herself.

Technical characteristics of this print by Leonor Fini

The screen print is produced on Rives paper, a prestigious medium that faithfully reproduces the subtle chromatic nuances of the composition. The screen printing technique allows for a remarkably precise rendering of details—the petals of the glasses, the reflections in the eyes—with dense and luminous areas of color.

The format – H 67,5 × W 50 cm (H 26.6 × W 19.7 in) – is that of the alphabetical series to which this print belongs, alongside other major screen prints such as Vesper Express, The Botany Lesson et The Chances of the SwingThe artwork comes with a mat, ready to be framed.

Conservation state

The print is in perfect condition. The Rives paper is impeccable, the colors have retained all their original richness, and Leonor Fini's handwritten signature is perfectly clear. Exemplary preservation for a print over fifty years old.

TEAM OPINION THE AUCTIONLAB

The self-portrait is the most intimate genre of all, and Leonor Fini treats it with remarkable intelligence: by hiding behind floral glasses, she transforms the portrait into a mask, and the mask into a statement. It is all Fini in a single image—the refusal to be captured, the taste for mystery, the elegance of disguise. With only 26 copies printed, this silkscreen on Rives paper is one of the most personal and sought-after pieces in her graphic oeuvre. For the collector, it is a rare opportunity to own a direct—and paradoxically veiled—gaze of the artist upon herself.

— The team The Auctionlab