Sylvia Fein

Sylvia Fein (November 20, 1919 – April 1, 2024) was an American surrealist painter and author. Inspired by the quattrocento, Fein painted in egg tempera, which she made herself. A newspaper described her as "Wisconsin’s Foremost Woman Painter." Beginning in the 1940s, Fein lived for a time in Mexico, then in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, eventually settling in the town of Martinez. Her 100th birthday was marked with an exhibition at her alma mater, The University of California at Berkeley.

Early life and education Fein was born on November 20, 1919, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and was the second of three children. Her parents were Alfred Fein, an attorney, and Elizabeth Fein, a pianist. During her youth, Fein described herself as being a quiet child, and stated in an interview that while in school, "I was always considered dumb. Artistic ability when I was growing up was not a great thing anybody was looking for. They were looking for scholastic ability ... and I didn't talk a lot, but that was not recognized, it was just put down that you weren't too smart academically." After graduating from high school, Fein hoped to attend college, but the family could not afford to send her to college. As a result, Fein spent a year working to raise the money needed to attend college. It was during this time that she was introduced to William "Bill" Scheuber (1918–2013), her future husband. Soon after, Fein enrolled at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where Scheuber was also enrolled. Her second book, First Drawings: Genesis of Visual Thinking, is about the basic patterns that appear throughout human art, both historically and during childhood development. Fein's hope with First Drawings was to showcase the relationship between the art done by children and the cave paintings of the Paleolithic period. Shortly after returning to painting, Fein began to work on her “Eye” series, which often exhibited elements of paintings she had done decades earlier. Fein would later describe her “Eye” series as both a "fun and thrilling experience."

After the death of her husband in 2013, Fein began work on her “Tree” series as a memorial to her husband, whom Fein credited as having always supported her career. The series consists of five paintings, the first of which symbolizes her husband. The next piece in the series was meant to represent both Fein and Scheuber, while the third piece represented Fein herself. A fourth piece symbolized both Fein and Scheuber again. Fein enjoyed being near nature, which inspired many of her works.

Exhibitions Fein's solo exhibitions include: 1946 – Perls Galleries, New York, NY 1957 – "Fifty-seven Small Paintings of the San Francisco Bay Region," Feingarten Galleries, San Francisco, California 1958 – Sagittarius Gallery, New York, NY, Lane Galleries, Los Angeles, California 1959 – Feingarten Galleries, San Francisco, California 1960 – Saint Mary's College, Moraga, California. Kunstkabinett, Frankfurt, Germany 1961 – Feingarten Galleries, New York, NY 1962 – Mills College Art Gallery, Oakland, California. Ruthermore Galleries, Oakland, California 1963 – Maxwell Art Galleries, San Francisco, California 1965 – "Shape of the Sea," Nicole Gallery, Berkeley, California 1966 – Bresler Galleries, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Setay Gallery, Beverly Hills, California 1967 – Oshkosh Public Museum, Oshkosh, Wisconsin 2007 – "Wondrous Life: Paintings and Drawings," Bakersfield Art Museum, Bakersfield California 2014 – "Sylvia Fein: Surreal Nature," Krowswork, Oakland, California 2019 – Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA), Berkeley, California 1941 – 13th Annual Exhibition of Student Art, University of Wisconsin, Elizabeth Waters Purchase Prize. 8th Annual Wisconsin Salon of Art, Joseph E. Davies Purchase Prize 1942 – 9th Annual Wisconsin Salon of Art, Purchase Prize for Ladies with Many Faces, Chazen Museum of Art Collection. 1st Annual Racine and Vicinity Show, Wustum Museum, Wisconsin. 14th Annual Exhibition of Student Art, University of Wisconsin, 1st Prize for Lady in a Landscape with Animals. Sylvia Fein and John Wilde Exhibition, Memorial Union, University of Wisconsin. 29th Annual Exhibition of Wisconsin Art, Milwaukee Art Institute, Honorable Mention 1943 – 30th Annual Exhibition of Wisconsin Art, Milwaukee Art Institute. 47th Annual Exhibition of Artists of Chicago and Vicinity, Illinois. 22nd International Exhibition of Watercolors, Art Institute of Chicago, Illinois. Perls Galleries, New York, New York 1944 – University of Utah group show from Perls Galleries. 48th Annual Exhibition of Artists of Chicago and Vicinity, Illinois. Springfield Museum of Art Annual, Massachusetts. State University of Iowa group show from Perls Galleries. Whitney Museum of American Painting, Annual Exhibition of Contemporary American Painting, New York, New York. 4th Biennial Exhibition of Contemporary American Painting, Richmond, Virginia. Villa Montecarlo, Chapala, Mexico 1945 – Whitney Museum of American Art, Annual Exhibition of Contemporary American Sculpture, Watercolors & Drawings, New York, New York 1946 – Whitney Museum of American Art, Annual Exhibition of Contemporary American Painting, New York, New York. Paintings of the Year 3rd Annual, National Academy of Design, New York, New York 1947 – 57th Annual Exhibition of Contemporary Art, Sheldon Memorial Gallery, Nebraska. 34th Annual of Contemporary American Painting, Toledo Museum of Art, Ohio 1948 – Wisconsin State Centennial Exhibition of Contemporary Wisconsin Art, Layton Art Gallery, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 1949 – San Francisco Museum of Art Drawing and Print Exhibition, California 1959 – Young Collectors Showing, Dallas Museum of Art, Texas 1960 – 5th Annual Diablo Pageant of Arts, Walnut Creek, California 1961 – "Brotherhood of Man" (Alfred E. Strelsin Invitational), Jewish Community Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 1964 – Art Bank, Art Association of the San Francisco Art Institute, California. "Three Painters," St. Mary's College, Moraga, California. San Francisco Legion of Honor Winter Invitational 1965 – "Art of the Landscape," San Francisco Art Institute, California 1968 – "Magic and Fantastic Art," Walnut Creek, California, Napa Valley 3rd Annual Wine Festival 2005 – "With Friends: Six Magic Realists 1940-1965," Chazen Museum of Art, Madison, Wisconsin 2016 – "Bats, Babes & Broccoli – Wisconsin Magic Realists," Mongerson Gallery, Chicago, Illinois

Books Heidi's Horse (Exelrod Press, 1976) -- illustrated by Heidi Scheuber First Drawings: Genesis of Visual Thinking (Exelrod Press, 1993)