Remedios Varo: Unexpected Journeys »

The adventures that fill the strange and wonderful paintings by Remedios Varo (1908-1963) reflect the physical and psychological journeys of her own tumultuous life.

Janet A. Kaplan's vivid chronicle, the first on the subject in English, interweaves Varo's life with the artist's exquisite work. Painted with a jewellike palette and old-master precision, Varo's intimate tableaux, rich with details of women's experience, tell fantasy tales of alchemy, science, mysticism, and magic. Fifty color reproductions capture the wit and beauty of her major paintings; numerous black-and-white illustrations document other works and portray the compelling artist with her circle of lifelong friends and admirers. The book is further enlivened by her own voice, conveyed in hilarious letters and surreal stories, published here for the first time. It concludes with an invaluable chronology as well as a newly updated bibliography and list of exhibitions.

A woman of intense magnetism and powerful imagination, Varo had been little known outside Mexico, but she has recently found enthusiastic audiences in Europe, the Americas, Australia, and Japan. The fascinating story of her life and the dazzling intricacy of her art will prove a revelation.

About the Author:
With the support of the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Rockefeller Foundation, and Moore College of Art, Janet A. Kaplan traveled through Spain, France, Morocco, and Mexico, tracking the life of Varo and interviewing dozens of the artist's friends and family. Dr. Kaplan, who received her Ph.D. from Columbia University, lectures and writes on topics related to twentieth-century and contemporary art, with special emphasis on women's issues and art and politics. A resident of Philadelphia, she is professor of art history at Moore College of Art and Design, on the graduate faculty at the MFA in Visual Art program at Vermont College, and executive editor of Art Journal, a publication of the College Art Association.

Belles Lettres

This beautifully written and illustrated book, full of wonders, is a joy to read and behold. . . . This journey through the art and life of Remedios Varo with Janet Kaplan as guide is art history and art criticism at its best.

The Early Years

Toward Surrealism: Paris and Barcelona

Among the Surrealists: Paris and Marseilles

Artist in Exile: Mexico and Venezuela

The Artist and Her Public

Journey as Metaphor

Transformations

Remembrance and Remembering

Afterword and Acknowledgments

Notes

Exhibitions

Selected Bibliography

Index