María de los Remedios Alicia Rodriga Varo y Uranga (Father: Rodrigo Varo y Zavalburu; Mother: Ignacia Uranga y Bergareche; Spouse: Gerardo Lizarraga, Benjamin Péret, Walter Gruen)
Remedios Varo (1908–1963) was a Spanish-born artist who became a central figure in the Surrealist movement in Mexico. Her work is celebrated for its intricate detail, mystical atmosphere, and the seamless blending of scientific curiosity with esoteric spirituality.
Born in Catalonia, Spain, Varo was encouraged by her father—a hydraulic engineer—to study technical drawing and mathematics, which laid the foundation for the architectural precision found in her later works. In 1924, she became one of the first women to study at the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando in Madrid. During the Spanish Civil War, she fled to Paris, where she became deeply involved with the Surrealist circle around André Breton.
With the outbreak of World War II, Varo fled Nazi-occupied France and settled in Mexico City in 1941. It was here that her artistic style reached its full maturity. Alongside her close friend, painter Leonora Carrington, Varo explored themes of alchemy, occultism, and the relationship between the domestic and the cosmic. Her paintings often feature androgynous, solitary figures engaged in mysterious, scientific, or ritualistic tasks within gothic or celestial settings.
Her signature style involved a meticulous, “old master” technique, often using delicate brushstrokes to create textures that resemble fine lace or aged stone. Masterpieces like Creation of the Birds and The Call exemplify her “Magic Realist” approach, where the impossible is rendered with startling clarity. Varo’s work invites viewers into a dream world where science and magic are not opposing forces, but two halves of the same mystery.
Active in others filds : Commercial Illustration (Bayer Pharmaceutical), Costume Design, Puppet Theater, Furniture Decoration.
