Irina Ionesco

Art Brokerage: Irina Ionesco French Artist: b. 1935-2022. Born on September 3, 1930 in Paris, France to Romanian parents, the former dancer and acrobat turned to painting after an injury in 1958. Her instructor gifted her a camera, sparking her career as a photographer. Currently living and working in Paris, France, Ionesco has traveled widely and published a variety of photobooks, including Passions (1984). She is known for her dramatically lit, erotic black-and-white portraits of her daughter, Eva. Working primarily as a fashion photographer, Ionesco stirred controversy with her nude portraits—much like Garry Gross would later cause with his sexualized photographs of a young Brooke Shields. Ionesco's work often features women in elaborate dress, referencing Surrealism in its psychoanalytic and dream-like imagery. Listings wanted.