The following description for has been prepared entirely by the current owner, Roberts S. Fastov, Esq., and, at the collector’s request, has not been edited by Sloans & Kenyon

Note 1): Siqueiros was in the United States and New York City at various times in the 1930's, commencing in 1932, and this painting is very similar in style, vigor, substance and subject matter, a close-up study of an African American woman's head and shoulders, to a number of Siqueiros’ works of the 1930's. See Note 3) (below) for Siqueiros' studies of heads and/or shoulders of men and women. Thus, it is possible that Siqueiros was in New York City when he executed this auction painting. This is a high quality, dramatic, forceful close-up study of a very handsome African American woman; hence, "Salon Venus" or “Algo con la boca (Something in the mouth)" Notice the very strong and bold delineation of both the eyes and the nose and a light highlighting of parts of the face, as well as the delineation of the full, broad and somewhat protruding lips, that are present in this painting and some of Siqueiros' Works illustrated below in Note 3).

Note 2) The following biographical materials are taken from the Askart.com website:

"David Alfaro Siqueiros was born in 1896 in Chihuahua City, Mexico. He was to become one of Mexico's most original and distinguished painters. His art is one of violent social protest expressed in dynamic, swirling brushstrokes, dramatic contrasts of light and shade, brilliant colors and heroic themes, all visible in the available work Atrapado.

From an early age he was involved in politics and art -- two forces that stayed with him throughout his life. By the age of 15 he was already deeply involved in his artistic studies as well as political activism. In 1911 at San Carlos Academy, he led a student strike that was designed by Siqueiros to force changes in the school's teaching methods. Lasting six months it ended in complete victory for the students.

Perhaps it was Siqueiros' early victory that inspired him to be politically active throughout his life. There have been few, if any, individuals associated with the arts that have been involved in direct political action more than Siqueiros. Following his first taste of politics, Siqueiros surrounded himself with constant political upheaval and revolutionary activity for the rest of his life, all the while producing art.

Siqueiros was recognized early on as a talented artist, but his politics and his art shared equal ground throughout his life. His professional recognition did not prevent the government from taking action against him, and the Mexican government recognized his as a dangerous subversive from early in his art career. The high drama that filled his life resulted in a body of work that is a reflection of his social and political preoccupations.

Siqueiros was frequently imprisoned for his left wing political views. It was in jail that he created the majority of his easel works. Siqueiros traveled overseas extensively as a young man. He was involved with the Anarchists in Barcelona, spent time in France, and then in 1928 traveled to the young Soviet Union. While in France, Siqueiros came in contact with all the stimulating contemporary artistic movements of the early 20th century as well as works by the European Old Masters. Michelangelo's influence on Siqueiros can be seen in his works that contain powerful, foreshortened figures and bold perspective. In 1931, as a result of his politics and actions, Siqueiros was confined to Taxco, Mexico in a status of internal exile. However, his restricted movement in no way dampened his creative spirit, and while in Taxco he created over 100 paintings.

In 1932, Siqueiros was expelled from Mexico for political activity and arrived in the United States where he painted three murals. Siqueiros returned to Mexico when the political climate shifted and the left-wing President Lazaro Cardenas came to power in 1934. In 1936, at the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War, Siqueiros went to Spain and enlisted in the anti-fascist forces. He served three years in Spain, rising to the rank of lieutenant colonel and returned to Mexico following Franco's victory.

Siqueiros is best known for his mural painting. Muralism was embraced by Mexico's post-revolutionary government as a powerful way of advancing the social and political ideals of the Mexican revolution. Siqueiros, along with Diego Rivera and Jose Clemente Orozco were known as "los tres grandes" (the three great ones) of Mexican mural painting. Of these artists, Siqueiros may have been the most innovative. He conceived of his murals as dynamic rather than static images. His style of experimentation with the integration of traditional Mexican art and modern art was quite unique. Many of Siqueiros' murals deal with Mexican and Latin American history -- they are reflections of an opposition to tyranny and his sympathy for workers and victims of oppression.

His revolutionary artwork paralleled the radical changes that were taking place in Mexico at the time. David Alfaro Siqueiros was very progressive in his use of modern industrial materials, equipment and techniques, such as the spray gun and synthetic paints. He was the first artist to use acrylics as a painting medium. He frequently used piroxiline, a substance related to gun cotton, which dries at amazing speed. It was through his experimentation that Siqueiros was able to give his works a three-dimensional quality.

Siqueiros produced masterpieces throughout his life, always pushing the limits of change and innovation. In 1974, at the age of 78, Siqueiros died in Cuernavaca, Mexico. Isaac Deutscher, Trotsky's biographer, poetically describes Siqueiros as a "Latin American buccaneer" -- a man in whom "art, revolution and gangsterism are inseparable.

Gretchen Van Camp, Latin American Art Cellar Exchange"

Note 3) Some relevant works of art by David Alfero Siqueiros, which support the attribution to Siqueiros and the presale estimate of $15,000-$25,000, per Artprice.com and other sources:

Autorretrato
Zoom in	Sales date	5/28/2003
	Hammer price	USD 65,000 EUR 55,562-USD 65,000-GBP 39,774
	Estimate	USD 50,000-70,000
	Category	Drawing-Watercolour
	Medium	Pencil (black), white tempera/zinc plate
	Location	New York NY (UNITED STATES)
	Size	47 x 29 cm -(18 1/2 x 11 3/8 in)
	Auction house	Christie's
	Dated	1934
	Lot number	11
	Distinguishing marks	Signed dated Inscr. «A.Siqueiros NY» Bas Droite
	Illustrations	P. 24 of the catalogue
	Notes	Houston, Museum of Fine Arts Roslyn Harbor,

Negra
Zoom in	Sales date	3/4/2003
	Hammer price	USD 800 EUR 734-USD 800-GBP 507
	Estimate	USD 1,000-1,500
	Indicative values	Artprice Indicator
	Category	Print
	Medium	Lithograph
	Location	New York NY (UNITED STATES)
	Size	127 x 88.9 cm -(50 x 35 in)
	Auction house	Swann Galleries
	Dated	c. 1935
	Lot number	583
	Distinguishing marks	signed Inscr. «Ed.25»
	Illustrations	P. 250 of the catalogue
	PERSONAL RESEARCH
	Notes	-

"Negra" Date unknown, but certainly was e x ecuted in the 1930's by Siqueiros. See immediately preceding Siqueiros' lithograph, executed in 1935. From website on Siqueiros' paintings: http://www.escapeintolife.com/artist-watch/david-alfaro-siqueiros/

Lithographs From Philadelphia Museum of Art:

Portrait of Moisés Sáenz

David Alfaro Siqueiros, 1931

Self-Portrait in New York

David Alfaro Siqueiros

Cabeza de Hombre
Zoom in	Sales date	11/19/2002
	Hammer price	USD 80,000 EUR 79,384-USD 80,000-GBP 50,584
	Estimate	USD 40,000-60,000
	Indicative values	Artprice Indicator
	Category	Painting
	Medium	Painting (pyroxylin)/copper
	Location	New York NY (UNITED STATES)
	Size	36.2 x 30.5 cm -(14 1/4 x 12 in)
	Auction house	Sotheby's
	Dated	1935
	Lot number	8
	Distinguishing marks	Signed dated «Siqueiros»
	Illustrations	P. 23 of the catalogue
	Notes	Houston, The Museum of Fine Arts, 1996-97,

Notes

Houston, The Museum of Fine Arts, 1997, No. 2

Máscara de indígena
Zoom in	Sales date	5/31/2011
	Hammer price	MXP 360,000 EUR 21,729-USD 31,035-GBP 18,842
	Estimate	MXP 220,000-300,000
	Category	Painting
	Medium	Oil/canvas
	Location	Me x ico (MEXICO)
	Size	40 x 30 cm -(15 3/4 x 11 3/4 in)
	Auction house	Louis C. Morton
	Dated	-
	Lot number	97
	Distinguishing marks	firmado
	Illustrations	P. 91 of the catalogue
	PERSONAL RESEARCH

Mujer y Gato
Zoom in	Sales date	11/23/1993
	Hammer price	USD 80,000 EUR 72,108-USD 80,000-GBP 53,700
	Estimate	USD 110,000-130,000
	Category	Painting
	Medium	Mixed media, Pyroxiline/masonite
	Location	New York NY (UNITED STATES)
	Size	92 x 74 cm -(36 1/4 x 29 1/8 in)
	Auction house	Christie's
	Dated	1931
	Lot number	22
	Distinguishing marks	Signed dated "NY" Bas Gauche
	Illustrations	P. 29 of the catalogue
	Notes	-

Retrato di Ione Robinson
Zoom in	Sales date	11/18/1991
	Hammer price	EUR 73,862-USD 87,505-GBP 49,172
	Estimate	-
	Category	Painting
	Medium	Oil, pyroxylin/burlap
	Location	New York NY (UNITED STATES)
	Size	86.4 x 58 cm -(34 x 22 7/8 in)
	Auction house	Sotheby's
	Dated	1931
	Lot number	20
	Distinguishing marks	Signed dated -31 Bas Gauche
	Illustrations	P. 53 of the catalogue
	Notes	-

Retrato de Dama
Zoom in	Sales date	5/28/1997
	Hammer price	USD 55,000 EUR 48,023-USD 55,000-GBP 33,577
	Estimate	USD 60,000-80,000
	Indicative values	Artprice Indicator
	Category	Painting
	Medium	Oil/board
	Location	New York NY (UNITED STATES)
	Size	91x67 cm -(35 7/8x26 3/8 in)
	Auction house	Christie's
	Dated	1949
	Lot number	14
	Distinguishing marks	Signed dated -49
	Illustrations	P. 43 of the catalogue
	Notes	Santiago, Instituto Internacional de las Condes, 1985
Also available for this artist: Price levels and indices

Retrato de Blanca Luz
Zoom in	Sales date	11/16/2005
	Hammer price	Not sold
	Estimate	USD 150,000-200,000
	Category	Painting
	Medium	Oil/canvas
	Location	New York NY (UNITED STATES)
	Size	90 x 66.7 cm -(35 3/8 x 26 1/4 in)
	Auction house	Sotheby's
	Dated	1931
	Lot number	8
	Distinguishing marks	Signed dated Inscr. Dedic. «Taxco A mi querida blanca Luz» Bas Gauche
	Illustrations	P. 21 of the catalogue
	Notes	Houston, the Museum of Fine Arts, 1997, No. 44

NB: This painting was sold by Christie’s, New York on May 18,1992 as lot 16 for $80,000, per Askart.com.

Cabeza (Retrato)
Zoom in	Sales date	11/25/2010
	Hammer price	MXP 800,000 EUR 47,888-USD 64,776-GBP 40,736
	Estimate	MXP 900,000-1,200,000
	Indicative values	Artprice Indicator
	Category	Painting
	Medium	Oil/canvas
	Location	Mexico (MEXICO)
	Size	87 x 64 cm -(34 1/4 x 25 1/6 in)
	Auction house	Louis C. Morton
	Dated	1931
	Lot number	64
	Distinguishing marks	Firma fecha
	Illustrations	P. 60 of the catalogue