Sylvia Fein, one of America’s foremost surrealist painters, lived and worked in Ajijic from 1943 to 1946. We would love to learn the present whereabouts of one of her favorite paintings from that time.
Sylvia Fein: Three Ladies. ca 1945.
Painted in Ajijic in about 1945, the painting shows three ladies chasing idols (see image). The model for all three ladies was the daughter of one of Fein’s close friends in the village. Fein lost touch with the painting years ago, but always wondered what became of it.
It is probable that the painting was included in her first solo show in 1946, at Perls Galleries in New York, and it may have been sold at that time.
- Sylvia Fein, one of America’s foremost surrealists, lived and painted in Ajijic 1943-46
- Rare opportunity: Southeby’s to auction several Sylvia Fein paintings
If anyone has any knowledge of where this painting is now, we would love to know! Please contact us!
Sombrero Books welcomes comments, corrections or additional material related to any of the writers and artists featured in our series of mini-bios. Please email us or use the comments feature at the bottom of individual posts.
Tony Burton’s books include “Lake Chapala: A Postcard History” (2022), “Foreign Footprints in Ajijic” (2022), “If Walls Could Talk: Chapala’s historic buildings and their former occupants” (2020), (available in translation as “Si Las Paredes Hablaran”), “Mexican Kaleidoscope” (2016), and “Lake Chapala Through the Ages” (2008).