Oil on board, scratched signature at lower right, presented in a period gilt frame.

Frame dimensions 22 x 18 in.

From the Collection of the Late Frank Sciancalepore, Raleigh, North Carolina

Born in White Plains, New York, Sirena moved with her widowed mother and siblings to Italy in 1931. Sadly, Sirena was her mother's only child to survive to adulthood. As a young girl, she saved from a burning train by an opera singer. The singer recognized Sirena's profound talent and range and eventually brought her back to New York for a singing career. Due to an unknown health issue, Sirena was forced to quit singing. Ill content to keep her artistic nature buried, she taught herself to paint, while also writing poems and lyrics. She would go on to exhibit her works extensively the rest of her life with even Picasso saying her paintings "should be shown throughout the world."

Surface grime and drying cracks.