The We Are All Human Foundation (WAAH), a leading nonprofit dedicated to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), hosted a celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month at the Art Institute of Chicago.
Over 60 leaders from various industries attended the event, titled “Discovering Hispanic Contributions to America through Art: Remedios Varo: Science Fictions,” to explore the Hispanic community’s vibrant legacy in the United States.
The event was graced by the presence of Reverend Jesse Jackson, a civil rights leader, who delivered a powerful message of unity and appreciation for the Hispanic community’s invaluable contributions.
The centerpiece of the evening was the “Remedios Varo: Science Fictions” exhibition at The Art Institute of Chicago, which provided attendees with an opportunity to immerse themselves in the world of Hispanic art.
This exhibition marks the first U.S. exhibition on Remedios Varo since 2000 and a rare presentation at the Art Institute to offer gallery text in both Spanish and English.
One of WAAH’s primary goals is to elevate self-regard and social recognition within the Hispanic community. This mission is driven by the belief that understanding their values and culture is crucial in defining what it means to be Latino in America.
The event featured notable speakers, including Minerva Anguiano, an art historian and anthropologist from Mexico City, and Claudia Romo Edelman, founder & CEO of the We Are All Human Foundation.
Co-hosts for the evening included Richard Edelman (Edelman), Martin Cabrera (Cabrera Capital Markets), Beth Brady (Chief Outsiders), Michael Fassnacht (World Business Chicago), and John Staines (DHR).
The distinguished co-host Martin Cabrera emphasized that “in acknowledging Hispanics’ $2.8 trillion impact on the U.S. economy, we must underscore the equal relevance of our cultural contributions. We must celebrate the contributions of women artists like Remedios Varo.”
Remedios Varo, was a surrealist painter from Spain who worked in Spain, France, and Mexico. In the last thirteen years of her life, she found financial stability in Mexico and painted productively until her sudden death on October 7, 1963.
Remedios Varo was born in 1908 in Anglès, a small town in the province of Girona (Catalonia) in northeastern Spain. Her mother, Ignacia Uranga Bergareche, was born to Basque parents in Argentina and was a devout Roman Catholic.
Her father, Rodrigo Varo y Zajalvo (Cejalvo), was a hydraulic engineer, and the family moved to different locations across Spain and North Africa due to his work.
Varo’s father recognized her artistic talents early on and encouraged independent thought. He supplemented her education with science and adventure books, including the novels of Alexandre Dumas, Jules Verne, and Edgar Allan Poe.
As she grew older, he provided her with texts on mysticism and philosophy.
Varo’s childhood experiences left an impression on her that would later appear as motifs in her work, such as machinery, furnishings, and artifacts. Romanesque and Gothic architecture, unique to Anglès, also appeared in her later artistic production.
The first works of Varo, including a self-portrait and several portraits of family members, date back to 1923 when she was studying for a baccalaureate at the School of Arts and Crafts.
In 1924, at age 15, she enrolled at the Escuela de Bellas Artes in Madrid, which emphasized traditional academic study, including detailed development of technical artistic skills. Varo was awarded her diploma as a drawing teacher in 1930.
Varo exhibited in a collective exhibition organized by the Unión de Dibujantes de Madrid. Surrealistic elements were already apparent in her work at school.
While French surrealism influenced Spanish surrealism early, she also took an early interest in French surrealism.
While in Madrid, Varo had her initial introduction to surrealism through lectures, exhibitions, films, and theater. She was a regular visitor to the Prado Museum and took particular interest in the paintings of Hieronymus Bosch, most notably The Garden of Earthly Delights, and other artists, such as Francisco de Goya.
The work that Varo created from 1926 to 1935 solidified her career as an artist but was not seen by the public.
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