Irina Ionesco(1930-2022)

Irina Ionesco, born in Paris 1930, is a Romanian/French photographer and media personality/celebrity, mother of Eva Ionesco. She was born to Romanian immigrants living in Paris. According to her daughter, Ionesco was the product of father-daughter incest. From the age of 4 to 15 her parents sent her to Romania where she was raised by her family who were circus performers. From the ages of 15 to 22 she performed as a contortionist. In 1965 she gave birth to her only child, Eva, whom she would from 1970 feature heavily in her work. In 1974 she exhibited some of her work at the Nikon Gallery in Paris and attracted lots of attention. She was soon published in numerous magazines, books, and featured at galleries across the globe. The erotic images she created with Eva were immediately controversial as Eva was posed in the same manner as Ionesco's much older models. Irina Ionesco notably photographed Eva nude for the cover of Der Spiegel which was later expunged from the magazine's records and also allowed pictures she took of Eva to appear in the Spanish edition of Penthouse. She also allowed her daughter to appear nude for other photographers including Jacques Bourboulon. Irina Ionesco has published numerous books featuring her works. In 2004 she published a memoir, "L'oeil de la poupée / The eye of the doll".