Cortège (Procession) was purchased immediately upon its completion at Fini’s atelier in Paris by William Copley (1916 - 1996) an American Surrealist painter of sweetly risqué images of naked women with men in starchy Edwardian suits. An orphan, he was adopted by Ira C. Copley, the wealthy owner of 16 newspapers. William attended Yale University and worked briefly as a reporter for The San Diego Tribune.

Along with his success as an artist, he was also known to be a collector with a discerning eye, as well as a major philanthropist. He acquired the painting directly from Fini, circumventing her then current dealer.

Cortège presages the style and subject matter Leonor Fini further explored in her 1966 illustrations for Gustav Flaubert’s Tentation de St. Antoine. Oil on canvas, 9.5” x 14”.