"Multiple-headed deities, strange woodland feasts, plants with sprite-like faces, and worlds floating on animals' backs are just a few of the dreamlike occurrences in the work of Leonora Carrington (1917-2011). The British-Mexican artist, born into an upper-class family in Lancashire, was fascinated by the notion of "other." She immersed herself in fairytales and folk stories by the likes of Beatrix Potter and Lewis Carroll and rebelled against the strict expectations of high-society women in England."
"Carrington traveled extensively, soaking up inspiration from classical sculptures and Renaissance paintings in Florence, where she studied art, then attending the first International Surrealist Exhibition in London when she was 19. It wasn't long before she was off to Paris, where the movement had taken wing. And fittingly, this month, a large-scale survey of Carrington's work opens at the Musée du Luxembourg in Paris, showcasing numerous paintings and drawings created throughout her career."
"Surrealism is virtually inextricable from Paris in the first half of the 20th century, when luminaries like Joan Miró, Salvador Dalí, and André Breton-the movement's founder-convened and shared ideas. The excitement attracted younger artists from other parts of the world, such as Carrington and Spanish painter Remedios Varo. There, Carrington met German artist Max Ernst, with whom she struck up a romantic partnership for a period of about three years-a time during which each of their practices was influenced by the other."
Leonora Carrington produced dreamlike imagery featuring multiple-headed deities, woodland feasts, sprite-faced plants, and worlds carried on animals' backs. Born into an upper-class Lancashire family, she immersed herself in fairytales and resisted high-society expectations. She studied art in Florence, drew inspiration from classical sculpture and Renaissance painting, and attended the first International Surrealist Exhibition in London at 19 before moving to Paris. Surrealism in Paris attracted international artists; Carrington met Max Ernst and entered a romantic, mutually influential partnership. Younger women in the movement were often cast as muses, a role she rejected while developing her own art. She later immigrated to Mexico to escape turmoil.
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