Rosa Covarrubias
Rosa Rolanda Covarrubias, the aunt of Jim Covarrubias and a significant source of his inspiration, began her artistic life as a dancer. She earned a prestigious spot with the Marion Morgan modern dance company, and later become a lead in the Isadora Duncan style dance troupe often designing her own costumes. In 1915, after changing her name, Rosa became a vaudeville star performing along the likes of Fred and Adele Astair, and Fred Wynn. She starred in silent films and became life-long friends with New York's elite High Society. There she met and married Miguel Covarrubias, a then famed illustrator at Vanity Fair. This began a journey of artistic partnership and time with new and interesting friends, including artist Frida Kahlo who was one of the many people they hosted inside their beautiful home in Tizapan de las Flores. Rosa was flamboyant and beautiful, and had a strong influence on Jim's work as seen in his numerous paintings of her. In his eyes, she will always be a shining story of Mexico and the United States.
