July 2, 2012
We are inclined to not think of women in the 1930’s as product designers yet there were some, though few. Among them was the multi-talented Leonor Fini, the designer of the flacon for Elsa Schiaparelli’s Shocking perfume. Fini was born in Argentina, raised in Italy, and moved ultimately to Paris where she too was closely associated with avant-garde creatives Dali, Picasso, Henri Cartier-Bresson, and Max Ernst. Her prolific body of work includes illustrations and paintings, as well as costumes and décor for theatre, ballet, opera and film.
Musée international de la Parfumerie, Grasse
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14/04/2012 : Grasse, boulevard du Jeu-de-Ballon, Musée international de la Parfumerie : “Shocking”, Schiaparelli (Leonor Fini, 1936)
Click the image for more on Leonor Fini.
You might say that Leonor Fini was the Lady Gaga of her time.
The following is a quote from a biography on Fini that sheds some insight on the daring woman.
“Her eccentric persona and flamboyant dress was rivalled only by Dali. This was not posturing showmanship but a form of integral surrealist expression that uses the entire body as theatre to protest against conventional society.”
Celebrate women who push the boundaries and challenge the norm!
What women do you think push the boundaries and challenge societal conventions today?
I love posts that send me into a Google searchathon. Fini was definitly of and ahead of her time. It almost makes me wonder if Fini time-warped herself to now just to be Lady Gaga! I found a picture of Fini wearing what looks like a fishbowl (or maybe it was a lightbulb) over her head. Something that certainly raised quite a few eyebrows I’m sure.She truly lived the life of her art.
I love a fun Google search too. Someone on my Facebook page mentioned Clara Driscoll and her noted mark on Tiffany Glass which sent me on a frenzied Google search. Thank you for stopping by and commenting!