Varo was born in Girona, Spain on December 16, 1908 She fled to Paris during the Spanish Civil War where she was heavily influenced by the surrounding surrealist movement She was forced into exile by the Nazis during their occupation in France Resided in Latin America for the rest of her life

Around 1949 is when she developed her unique style of surrealism She then established herself as a para- surrealist Varo painted mainly with oil on masonite panels Her brush technique resembled the type of strokes you would normally use on a egg tempera

Much of Varos influence derived from mystic and hermetic traditions Some artists that influenced her the most were Hieronymus Bosch Francisco Goya El Greco Picasso Braque Nearly all male surrealists didnt respect female painters of the genre, so Varo addressed this in her paintings symbolically

As her career continued, she progressively concentrated on the issue of women discrimination in her work She died on October 8, 1963 at the height of her career from a heart-attack while in Mexico City Varos work continues to prove successful in Mexico and in the United States today