Born in 1917 Clayton Green, South Lancashire, to an affluent family. Rebellious toward her parents' desire for a traditional upbringing and introduction as a debutante, was expelled from private schools for her eccentric behavior before enrolling in an art academy in Florence and later studying under Amédée Ozenfant. First contact with the Surrealist circle was upon meeting with Max Ernst in 1937. Moved to Paris that year at age 20 and became a young but impressive member of Breton's Surrealist group. With Ernst moved to Saint-Martin-d'Ardèche in 1938. In 1940, Ernst was imprisoned in an internment camp, after which Carrington suffered a nervous breakdown, and her family sent her to a mental hospital in Spain.
After escaping to New York, she departed for Mexico in 1942 where she stayed for the remainder of her life. Explored themes of alchemy, spiritual studies, myth, and the occult, and her unique oeuvre depicts magical and alchemical rituals conducted by marvels and shape-shifting beings. The Gothic-style architecture of the homes of her youth and the Celtic myth and folklore told by her Irish nanny find reoccurring expression. Died May 25, 2011 at the age of 94.
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Paying Tribute to Leonora Carrington, 2022 Venice Biennale Takes the Title ‘The Milk of Dreams’
ARTnews Jun 9, 2021The 59th edition of the Venice Biennale will be titled “The Milk of Dreams,” the exhibition’s artistic director, Cecilia Alemani , announced on Wednesday. The...Read more -
Sotheby’s Middling Impressionist and Modern Sale Nets $62.8 Million Thanks to a Major Boost From Latin American Treasures
Artnet Jun 30, 2020Even though sales categories have become increasingly fluid at major auction houses—whether the blending is organic or the result of a calculated business strategy to...Read more -
"We are all Surrealists now": how life with Leonora Carrington prepared me for coronavirus lockdown
The Art Newspaper Apr 14, 2020'Safety, under any circumstances, is an illusion.' It’s more than a decade since the Surrealist artist Leonora Carrington said those words to me. Since then...Read more -
Top Ten Surrealists: From Dorothea Tanning to Man Ray
AnOther Magazine Mar 5, 2020Surrealism – that seminal artistic and literary movement led by French poet André Breton – has continued to inspire creative minds in every realm ever...Read more -
Surrealism Was a Decidedly Feminine Movement. So Why Have So Many of Its Great Women Artists Been Forgotten?
Artnet Feb 18, 2020Female artists’ contributions to the Surrealist movement may be well known, but only a handful have received the recognition they deserve. A scholarly new exhibition...Read more -
Weinstein Gallery lends artwork to the Fantastic Women exhibition at the Schirn Kunsthalle in Frankfurt
Feb 13, 2020Weinstein Gallery is honored to be a lender to the Fantastic Women exhibition mounted by the Schirn Kunsthalle in Frankfurt and now virtually accessible online....Read more -
Leonora Carrington: Magic Tales at the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Monterrey (MARCO)
Oct 12, 2018The Museum of Contemporary Art of Monterrey presents Leonora Carrington. Magic Tales , a major retrospective exhibition that explores the different facets of the Mexican...Read more -
Modern Couples: Art, Intimacy, and the Avant-Garde the Barbican
Oct 10, 2018Featuring the biggest names in Modern Art, Modern Couples explores creative relationships, across painting, sculpture, photography, design and literature. Meet the artist couples that forged...Read more -
We are Completely Free. Women Artists and Surrealism at the Museo Picasso Málaga
Oct 10, 2017We are Completely Free. Women Artists and Surrealism presents the work of a group of women artists who, from the 1920s onwards, became involved to...Read more -
Leonora Carrington at the Tate Liverpool
Mar 6, 2015Leonora Carrington invites you to discover the fantastical creations of the prolific painter and internationally celebrated member of the surrealist movement, Leonora Carrington (1917-2011). The...Read more -
Leonora Carrington: The Celtic Surrealist at the Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA)
Sep 18, 2013The first major retrospective of Leonora Carrington's work in Ireland, this iconic exhibition is a timely rediscovery of this Surrealist painter and her role in...Read more