Leonora Carrington

Mary Leonora Carrington was a British-Mexican Surrealist painter and novelist renowned for her distinctive contributions to the Surrealist movement. Born in 1917 into a wealthy family in Lancashire, England, Carrington’s early life was marked by a strong sense of rebellion against societal expectations. Her fascination with art and literature led her to study at the Chelsea School of Art and later at the Ozenfant Academy in London.

Carrington met German Surrealist artist Max Ernst in 1937. The two began a passionate relationship that significantly influenced her work. Leonora Carrington and Max Ernst became a celebrated pairing in the Surrealist circle. The outbreak of World War II and Ernst’s arrest by the Nazis led to their separation, a traumatic experience that deeply impacted Carrington’s art and writing.

Carrington’s paintings are known for their dreamlike quality, rich symbolism, and fantastical creatures. Her Self-Portrait (1937–38, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York) is one of her most famous works, depicting herself with a hyena and a rocking horse in a surreal, otherworldly setting. This painting exemplifies her ability to blend reality with fantasy, creating enigmatic and evocative imagery.

In addition to her visual art, Carrington was a prolific writer. Her novel Down Below (1944) is a harrowing account of her experiences during a mental breakdown and subsequent institutionalisation. Down Below by Leonora Carrington offers a raw and introspective look at her psyche, blending autobiography with Surrealist narrative techniques.

Carrington’s relocation to Mexico in 1942 marked a new phase in her life and work. In 1943 she took up residence in Colonia Roma and became close friends with Spanish painter Remedios Varo. The pair formed a significant artistic partnership, with both artists influencing each other’s work and contributing to the vibrant Mexican Surrealist scene.

Her fascination with mysticism and the occult is evident in many of her works. Executed in 1952, at the height of Leonora Carrington’s artistic maturity, Ferret Race (Stoat Race) (sold at Christie’s London in 2022 for £1,362,000), offers a portal into the intimate and hermetic universe of her haunting imagination. An ingenious fabulist with a hunger for autonomy and authority as an artist, Carrington plumbed the mysteries of her reality to create coded narratives documenting her quest for the self.

Leonora Carrington’s rich body of work continues to inspire and intrigue, solidifying her place as a seminal figure in the Surrealist movement. Her exploration of the unconscious, the mystical, and the fantastical ensures that her legacy remains vibrant and influential.