168 - FINI (Leonor). Born in Buenos Aires (Argentina). 1908–1996. French surrealist painter, lithographer, theater set designer, and writer of Italian origin.

FINI (Leonor). Born in Buenos Aires (Argentina). 1908–1996. French surrealist painter, lithographer, theater set designer, and writer of Italian origin. AUTOGRAPH LETTER SIGNED “Leonor” to “Dear Pierre” [Pierre Besse]. No place, no date [circa 1965]. 3 folio pages. A moving letter of mourning reflecting on the passing of Jacques Audiberti and Lidia Dolyńska, as well as the death of her cats. Deeply shaken by a series of losses, Leonor Fini wrote a letter of rare emotional intensity to her friend Pierre Besse, in which she expresses her grief, weariness, and distress. She first mentions the death of Lidia Dolyńska, which occurred two days after that of the playwright Jacques Audiberti (1899–1965): “You will hear from Kot that Lidia Dolyńska, whom I truly loved very much, died two days after Jacques. It’s too much; I’m sick of all this, and ever since the death of my two cats.” She then expresses her rejection of the atmosphere around her and her exhaustion in the face of daily difficulties: “I curse this summer—I curse being here—the never-ending troubles with the bastards in the village.” To her correspondent, from whom she had just received a letter, she criticizes his descriptions, which she finds unbearable in her state of distress: “Yesterday your letter, with its so well-crafted, well-written yet excruciating descriptions, really broke me—I can’t stand Pierre [...] forgive me, my nerves are shattered. ” She reflects with particular emotion on the memory of Lidia Dolyńska, whose radiant personality and energy she evokes: “I still see her as effervescent, active, smiling, innocent. I see her poor husband, an old young man, all alone and completely lost.” The letter ends with an admission of her deep despondency: “I’m so depressed that I can’t go on. ” A touching testament to Leonor Fini’s sensitivity and her connections to the artistic and literary circles of her time. The death of Jacques Audiberti, a writer and playwright with whom she was close, lends this letter particular biographical significance. Konstanty Aleksander Jeleński, known as Kot (1922–1987), a Polish writer, critic, and translator, was one of Leonor Fini’s closest companions.