Sylvia Anne EDWARDS

EDWARDS Sylvia Anne, aged 81, American abstract artist, of London, England, for the last 40 years, peacefully on 25th October 2018, at Chelsea Westminster Hospital after a brief illness. Born in Boston, Massachusetts, the daughter of the late Junius and Sylvia (Mailloux) Edwards and sister of the late John W "Jack" Edwards. Sylvia spent her youth in Boston and attended the Massachusetts College of Art in Boston. Sylvia moved with her family to Iran in 1961. After fourteen years, she moved to Switzerland with her family prior to settling in London in 1977. Known for her use of vivid colour and forms, Sylvia Edwards' works are instantly recognisable in public and private spaces around the world today including the Tate Modern, Howard Gottleib Archival Research Center at Boston University, and the National Museum for Women in the Arts. Sylvia was a lifelong learner and global traveller as she enjoyed a deep appreciation for the varied cultures of her travels as reflected in her paintings. Sylvia Edwards had over thirty solo exhibitions in America, Europe, the Far and Middle East since her first commercial exhibition in 1975. Nearly 50 group exhibitions have included her work. Her paintings, donated for greeting cards, were amongst the most popular published by UNICEF. She summered, and painted in her studio on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Surviving are her children, Shirin Golestaneh of London, England, Nader Golestaneh of Wellesley, Massachusetts, and Leila Golestaneh of London England, her former husband Sadredin M Golestaneh, her daughter-in-law Kim Golestaneh, her son-in-law Jon Mided, as well as, six grandchildren, Niccolo Leone, Cosimo Leone, Kamran Golestaneh, Camilla Golestaneh, Keyan Golestaneh and Amber Mided, her sister-in-law, Lillian "Birdie" (O'Dowd) Edwards and three nephews Christopher, John and Steven Edwards and her longest friendship with Diana Barbero from grade school, and her two cats Felix and Pasha, as well as, a collection of multiple generations of loving friends and admirers around the world who enriched her life immensely. In lieu of flowers, contributions in Sylvia's honour may be made to the Chelsea Westminster Hospital Critical Care Project, criticalcareproject@chelwest.nhs.uk. A memorial gathering will be held on Sunday 11th November 2018, at the Lanesborogh Hotel, London, Westminster Room, from 2pm to 5pm.