Favored by the likes of Christian Dior and Salvador Dali, Leonor Fini was no ordinary lady.

Fini is hailed as one of the most important female surrealist painters. She wouldn’t like that. She refused to join the alliance of surrealist crazies because Andre Breton was a misogynist. Fini wasn’t fully committed to femininity either. Not that she wanted to be a man, but maybe just all genders all at once. She was a famous crossdresser, and always looked fabulous. She was the quintessential art queen of the surrealist period.

Fini was born in Argentina to Italian parents. Their marriage wasn’t the best for Leonor. Her mum had to escape her abusive dad and take her to Trieste in Italy. Her dad may have lost the custody battle, but he wasn’t one to back down. He even tried kidnapping her. Mama Fini freaked out and dressed little Leonor up as a boy so that her dad wouldn’t recognize her. What mothers have to do to protect their children. Or what Amanda Bynes has to do to play soccer.

No school or university could teach Leonor what she needed to learn. In fact, she was even expelled from school once. (Badass.) She designed her own artistic education, starting with museums and ending up at the morgue. (Another badass move.) She moved to Paris while engaged to a Prince who she dumped, got married once, and then never again. (BADASS.) And, the cherry on top, she would always have dinner with her 23 cats. I mean, this woman checks all the boxes.

Painting sexy subversive images wasn't Fini’s only talent. She designed costumes and sets for the theatre, and eventually the movies. She also posed for a number of famous photographers, like Henri Cartier-Bresson, Lee Miller, and Cecil Beaton. The woman was on fire.