From one day to another: a ballet scenario by Leonor Fini

Though predominantly known for her Surrealist painting, Leonor Fini (1907–1996) was also a prolific designer of sets and costumes and produced scenographic work over a period of 28 years from 1944 to 1972. Having lain in the shadow of her male contemporaries, in recent years she has come to greater and greater prominence, but her work as a designer remains relatively unknown. This may well be due to enduring hierarchies of ‘art’ within art history that accord scenographic design a lowly status. Or perhaps it is because many of Fini's projects made at least some use of period costumes and sets rather than innovative, avant-garde aesthetics. Whatever the underlying reason, this article aims to address this neglect and presents a ballet synopsis by Fini from approximately 1938–1939; one which never made it off the page onto the stage. It offers an English translation of this document, which has never been published to my knowledge, and seeks to situate it in the larger context of Fini’s work; specifically in terms of her engagement with the metamorphic body and the role of costume in achieving this metamorphosis.