Federico Castellón was a Surrealist painter and printmaker and an illustrator of books for adults and children. Born in Spain, Castellón moved to the United States as a boy. As a teenager, his art was exhibited in Raymond & Raymond Galleries and the Weyhe Gallery. He met Diego Rivera (in New York to paint murals in Rockefeller Center) who helped connect him to gallerists. In 1934, with Rivera's help, he obtained a four-year scholarship to study painting and printmaking in Europe. He exhibited his work with Pablo Picasso, Juan Gris, and Joan Miro. In 1937 he returned to New York and began to experiment with lithography, using the medium especially for illustration work. During World War II he served with the OSS in the Burma theater, and his travels informed his later work. He taught at various New York schools, including Columbia University and the Pratt Institute.
