Samuel Reindorf (1914-1988)

Samuel Reindorf was born in Warsaw Poland in 1914 and emigrated to Toronto in the 1930's.   He ran an art advertising agency  in New York for twenty five years while continuing to paint and raising five children.  During the summer he spent several months painting on Monhegan Island in Maine with other artists. 

When he was in his forties he gave up the agency and went to Mexico to live and paint with his wife and three of the youngest of his children, settling in the the colonial town of San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato.  There he designed and constructed a large house where he painted and welcomed many guests, from bullfighters and motorcycle gang members to opera singers.  He spent the last thirty years of his life in Mexico, entranced by the colors of the country. 

He was able to blend several influences into his work, most notably Cezanne and Van Gogh.  He experimented with many different media and styles in his work.  Initially he was influence by the Impressionists but developed his own bold and colorful style that captured the characteristic color of Mexico.  He invented a technique of painting oil mixed with sand that gave his paintings a density of texture.  His work is owned by many renowned collectors and museums.  An extensive book on his art is written by Alfonso de Neuvillate and published by Alpine Fine Arts Collection.  His biographer described him as an larger than life person, with his life of tragedies and blessing etched into face, with a laugh that would make windows vibrate and perhaps scare away birds. 

Among the many galleries he had solo exhibitions in are the Geminaire Gallery in New York City, the Tygesen Gallery in Toronto, the Cushing Gallery in Dallas and the Collectors Gallery in New Orleans.

In Mexico he exhibited one man shows in many galleries including the Aetenea Gallery in San Miguel, the Galleria de Artes in Guadalajara, a sponsored exhibit by the United States Embassy in Mexico City, and a solo retrospective at the Instituto de Bellas Artes in Mexico City.

He has five children who were influenced by his artistic talents and lifestyle; Mark Reindorf, a violinist and entrepreneur, Lisa Reindorf, an artist and architect,  Nicole Reindorf, a Russian literature scholar, Wanda Reindorf, an artist and financial officer and Sheilia Reindorf Lenga, a photographer as well as seven grandchildren.   He died in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico in 1988.