Walter Gruen, Mexico (gifted by the artist) Alexandra Varsoviano Neumann de Gruen, Mexico (by descent from her husband) Gifted by the above to the present owner
Spanish-born Remedios Varo is widely recognized as a pioneer of Surrealism in Latin America. Varo formally trained at Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando in Madrid and spent many of her formative years in Barcelona and Paris. While in Paris, Varo met Andre Breton and many other members of the Surrealist circle, including Max Ernst and Roberto Matta. With the onset of World War II and the Nazi occupation of France, Varo fled to Mexico along with other European artists and intellectuals including Kati Horna, Leonora Carrington and Gunther Gerzso. While Varo's work was undoubtedly influenced by Breton's surrealist writings, her mature works are often reminiscent of both Italian and Flemish Renaissance paintings in their allegorical nature and use of subtle tonalities.