From the museum: “Like many figures in Remedios Varo’s paintings, the subject of The Call (1961) projects a sense of solemn preoccupation, as though in the midst of a momentous adventure. Wearing flowing robes and carrying alchemical tools, including a mortar and pestle at her collar, she traverses a sort of courtyard. Her hair forms a brilliant swirl of light, which seems to bring her energy from a celestial source.

This work reflects Varo’s characteristic color palette: the central figure, illuminated in fiery orange-gold tones, walks through shadowy, more muted surroundings. Precise lines reveal unexpected details, such as walls that appear to entomb figures in tree bark.

Varo’s own features, particularly her large eyes and long, straight nose, often appear in the faces of her protagonists, emphasizing the importance she placed on her perspective as a woman. However, as in The Call, her works do not feature direct self-portraits. The figures are frequently androgynous or not-quite-human alter-egos, with witty and delicate features of fauna or otherworldly creatures.

Varo created this work near the end of her life, while living in Mexico and growing in artistic reputation. It reflects her Surrealist influences and her interests (she dabbled in alchemical experiments) as well as her talent for evoking ambiguous narratives through art.”
From the museum: “Like many figures in Remedios Varo’s paintings, the subject of The Call (1961) projects a sense of solemn preoccupation, as though in the midst of a momentous adventure. Wearing flowing robes and carrying alchemical tools, including a mortar and pestle at her collar, she traverses a sort of courtyard. Her hair forms a brilliant swirl of light, which seems to bring her energy from a celestial source. This work reflects Varo’s characteristic color palette: the central figure, illuminated in fiery orange-gold tones, walks through shadowy, more muted surroundings. Precise lines reveal unexpected details, such as walls that appear to entomb figures in tree bark. Varo’s own features, particularly her large eyes and long, straight nose, often appear in the faces of her protagonists, emphasizing the importance she placed on her perspective as a woman. However, as in The Call, her works do not feature direct self-portraits. The figures are frequently androgynous or not-quite-human alter-egos, with witty and delicate features of fauna or otherworldly creatures. Varo created this work near the end of her life, while living in Mexico and growing in artistic reputation. It reflects her Surrealist influences and her interests (she dabbled in alchemical experiments) as well as her talent for evoking ambiguous narratives through art.”
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From the museum: “Like many figures in Remedios Varo’s paintings, the subject of The Call (1961) projects a sense of solemn preoccupation, as though in the midst of a momentous adventure. Wearing flowing robes and carrying alchemical tools, including a mortar and pestle at her collar, she traverses a sort of courtyard. Her hair forms a brilliant swirl of light, which seems to bring her energy from a celestial source.

This work reflects Varo’s characteristic color palette: the central figure, illuminated in fiery orange-gold tones, walks through shadowy, more muted surroundings. Precise lines reveal unexpected details, such as walls that appear to entomb figures in tree bark.

Varo’s own features, particularly her large eyes and long, straight nose, often appear in the faces of her protagonists, emphasizing the importance she placed on her perspective as a woman. However, as in The Call, her works do not feature direct self-portraits. The figures are frequently androgynous or not-quite-human alter-egos, with witty and delicate features of fauna or otherworldly creatures.

Varo created this work near the end of her life, while living in Mexico and growing in artistic reputation. It reflects her Surrealist influences and her interests (she dabbled in alchemical experiments) as well as her talent for evoking ambiguous narratives through art.”
From the museum: “Like many figures in Remedios Varo’s paintings, the subject of The Call (1961) projects a sense of solemn preoccupation, as though in the midst of a momentous adventure. Wearing flowing robes and carrying alchemical tools, including a mortar and pestle at her collar, she traverses a sort of courtyard. Her hair forms a brilliant swirl of light, which seems to bring her energy from a celestial source. This work reflects Varo’s characteristic color palette: the central figure, illuminated in fiery orange-gold tones, walks through shadowy, more muted surroundings. Precise lines reveal unexpected details, such as walls that appear to entomb figures in tree bark. Varo’s own features, particularly her large eyes and long, straight nose, often appear in the faces of her protagonists, emphasizing the importance she placed on her perspective as a woman. However, as in The Call, her works do not feature direct self-portraits. The figures are frequently androgynous or not-quite-human alter-egos, with witty and delicate features of fauna or otherworldly creatures. Varo created this work near the end of her life, while living in Mexico and growing in artistic reputation. It reflects her Surrealist influences and her interests (she dabbled in alchemical experiments) as well as her talent for evoking ambiguous narratives through art.”
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From the website: “The girl, aged around 9 or 10, is dressed in a brown skirt and apron, and a kind of grey smock with rolled-up sleeves. Around her neck, she wears a whitish neckerchief. The child, with pale skin and reddish hair, has a half-plaited braid that falls down her back. Her gaze is fixed on what she is doing, and her stance has an air of resignation and weariness.

The rest of the painting, from the central part to the far right, has a clear protagonist: the loom. It is probably the ‘back strap’ type, a technical apparatus based on straps and wooden bars, which was a mechanised version of the traditional hand loom. At the bottom of the plate, next to the girl’s skirt, you will notice, embossed, the mechanism’s two large cogwheels that make the loom function.

And lastly, an important detail. In the background of the scene, in semi-darkness, we can make out the figure of a man –probably a foreman– who seems to be in front of another machine. However, his gaze is clearly directed towards the girl, in a watchful attitude. This part of the work is not represented tactilely.

Despite the formal beauty of the painting from an artistic point of view, its subject matter shocks us with the reality it depicts: a testimony to the conditions of child exploitation that contributed to the thriving textile industrialisation of the 19th century.”
From the website: “The girl, aged around 9 or 10, is dressed in a brown skirt and apron, and a kind of grey smock with rolled-up sleeves. Around her neck, she wears a whitish neckerchief. The child, with pale skin and reddish hair, has a half-plaited braid that falls down her back. Her gaze is fixed on what she is doing, and her stance has an air of resignation and weariness. The rest of the painting, from the central part to the far right, has a clear protagonist: the loom. It is probably the ‘back strap’ type, a technical apparatus based on straps and wooden bars, which was a mechanised version of the traditional hand loom. At the bottom of the plate, next to the girl’s skirt, you will notice, embossed, the mechanism’s two large cogwheels that make the loom function. And lastly, an important detail. In the background of the scene, in semi-darkness, we can make out the figure of a man –probably a foreman– who seems to be in front of another machine. However, his gaze is clearly directed towards the girl, in a watchful attitude. This part of the work is not represented tactilely. Despite the formal beauty of the painting from an artistic point of view, its subject matter shocks us with the reality it depicts: a testimony to the conditions of child exploitation that contributed to the thriving textile industrialisation of the 19th century.”
From the website: “The girl, aged around 9 or 10, is dressed in a brown skirt and apron, and a kind of grey smock with rolled-up sleeves. Around her neck, she wears a whitish neckerchief. The child, with pale skin and reddish hair, has a half-plaited braid that falls down her back. Her gaze is fixed on what she is doing, and her stance has an air of resignation and weariness.

The rest of the painting, from the central part to the far right, has a clear protagonist: the loom. It is probably the ‘back strap’ type, a technical apparatus based on straps and wooden bars, which was a mechanised version of the traditional hand loom. At the bottom of the plate, next to the girl’s skirt, you will notice, embossed, the mechanism’s two large cogwheels that make the loom function.

And lastly, an important detail. In the background of the scene, in semi-darkness, we can make out the figure of a man –probably a foreman– who seems to be in front of another machine. However, his gaze is clearly directed towards the girl, in a watchful attitude. This part of the work is not represented tactilely.

Despite the formal beauty of the painting from an artistic point of view, its subject matter shocks us with the reality it depicts: a testimony to the conditions of child exploitation that contributed to the thriving textile industrialisation of the 19th century.”
From the website: “The girl, aged around 9 or 10, is dressed in a brown skirt and apron, and a kind of grey smock with rolled-up sleeves. Around her neck, she wears a whitish neckerchief. The child, with pale skin and reddish hair, has a half-plaited braid that falls down her back. Her gaze is fixed on what she is doing, and her stance has an air of resignation and weariness. The rest of the painting, from the central part to the far right, has a clear protagonist: the loom. It is probably the ‘back strap’ type, a technical apparatus based on straps and wooden bars, which was a mechanised version of the traditional hand loom. At the bottom of the plate, next to the girl’s skirt, you will notice, embossed, the mechanism’s two large cogwheels that make the loom function. And lastly, an important detail. In the background of the scene, in semi-darkness, we can make out the figure of a man –probably a foreman– who seems to be in front of another machine. However, his gaze is clearly directed towards the girl, in a watchful attitude. This part of the work is not represented tactilely. Despite the formal beauty of the painting from an artistic point of view, its subject matter shocks us with the reality it depicts: a testimony to the conditions of child exploitation that contributed to the thriving textile industrialisation of the 19th century.”
Event on September 15: “Shared knowledge graphs as a tool in recovering looted cultural heritage and the histories of marginalized people“. 

I hope the information provided will be helpful to cultural heritage professionals, provenance researchers, claimants, Holocaust scholars, art crime experts, museum and art market people.

(Do not let the words "knowledge graph" scare you. In this talk, I’ll show how we can connect information—people, places, artworks, events—into a kind of map of relationships. Think of it as a network of stories and connections. We can use this to retrieve lost information and to explore hidden networks over long periods of time, which is very useful for Nazi-looted art as well as other kinds of stolen or disappeared cultural heritage.) 

The event will take place at the Deutsches Zentrum Kulturgutverluste, Außenstelle Berlin, Seydelstraße 18, 10117 Berlin. 

It is also possible to join the event via Webex. (Register by Sep 12)
Event on September 15: “Shared knowledge graphs as a tool in recovering looted cultural heritage and the histories of marginalized people“. I hope the information provided will be helpful to cultural heritage professionals, provenance researchers, claimants, Holocaust scholars, art crime experts, museum and art market people. (Do not let the words "knowledge graph" scare you. In this talk, I’ll show how we can connect information—people, places, artworks, events—into a kind of map of relationships. Think of it as a network of stories and connections. We can use this to retrieve lost information and to explore hidden networks over long periods of time, which is very useful for Nazi-looted art as well as other kinds of stolen or disappeared cultural heritage.) The event will take place at the Deutsches Zentrum Kulturgutverluste, Außenstelle Berlin, Seydelstraße 18, 10117 Berlin. It is also possible to join the event via Webex. (Register by Sep 12)
Event on September 15: “Shared knowledge graphs as a tool in recovering looted cultural heritage and the histories of marginalized people“. 

I hope the information provided will be helpful to cultural heritage professionals, provenance researchers, claimants, Holocaust scholars, art crime experts, museum and art market people.

(Do not let the words "knowledge graph" scare you. In this talk, I’ll show how we can connect information—people, places, artworks, events—into a kind of map of relationships. Think of it as a network of stories and connections. We can use this to retrieve lost information and to explore hidden networks over long periods of time, which is very useful for Nazi-looted art as well as other kinds of stolen or disappeared cultural heritage.) 

The event will take place at the Deutsches Zentrum Kulturgutverluste, Außenstelle Berlin, Seydelstraße 18, 10117 Berlin. 

It is also possible to join the event via Webex. (Register by Sep 12)
Event on September 15: “Shared knowledge graphs as a tool in recovering looted cultural heritage and the histories of marginalized people“. I hope the information provided will be helpful to cultural heritage professionals, provenance researchers, claimants, Holocaust scholars, art crime experts, museum and art market people. (Do not let the words "knowledge graph" scare you. In this talk, I’ll show how we can connect information—people, places, artworks, events—into a kind of map of relationships. Think of it as a network of stories and connections. We can use this to retrieve lost information and to explore hidden networks over long periods of time, which is very useful for Nazi-looted art as well as other kinds of stolen or disappeared cultural heritage.) The event will take place at the Deutsches Zentrum Kulturgutverluste, Außenstelle Berlin, Seydelstraße 18, 10117 Berlin. It is also possible to join the event via Webex. (Register by Sep 12)
Excerpt from the Lot Essay: “… in profile to focus on her form - clad in figure-hugging silk brocades, offset by an extravagant chiffon bow at the neck. Surface, thus exposed, contained soul. The eye ranges freely over the narrow seventeen-inch waist, the ramrod line of her back, the measurement between ear, nose and mouth, carefully calibrated, and the shock of unruly tresses tamed, it was said, by no more than two pins. By its very nature, a profile is more intimate than a full face; we observe without being observed. The mask is not in place and the eyes do not distract. In this instance, they cast their gaze upon a sculpture as a connoisseur might, and the piece Mlle Bernhardt delicately fingers is that of Orpheus, given to her to hold at this moment by Bastien-Lepage, in order to compliment and express her aspirations as a sculptor.”
Excerpt from the Lot Essay: “… in profile to focus on her form - clad in figure-hugging silk brocades, offset by an extravagant chiffon bow at the neck. Surface, thus exposed, contained soul. The eye ranges freely over the narrow seventeen-inch waist, the ramrod line of her back, the measurement between ear, nose and mouth, carefully calibrated, and the shock of unruly tresses tamed, it was said, by no more than two pins. By its very nature, a profile is more intimate than a full face; we observe without being observed. The mask is not in place and the eyes do not distract. In this instance, they cast their gaze upon a sculpture as a connoisseur might, and the piece Mlle Bernhardt delicately fingers is that of Orpheus, given to her to hold at this moment by Bastien-Lepage, in order to compliment and express her aspirations as a sculptor.”