“She was a seeker and a searcher. In her work, she always sought to define moments when one plane of consciousness blends with another.”
- Dr. Whitney Chadwick on Carrington [4]
Leonora Carrington (b. 1917, Clayton Green, Lancashire, England – d. 2011, Mexico City, Mexico) was a British-born Mexican Surrealist artist and writer whose works explored mythology, transformation, alchemy, and the occult. Raised in a wealthy Roman Catholic family, Carrington developed an early fascination with Irish folklore and Celtic mythology through the stories told by her mother and nanny, influences that later would become central to her artistic language. After rebelling against her family's expectations and pursuing her studies in art, she encountered Surrealism in London after meeting Max Ernst in 1937, beginning a relationship that introduced her to the wider Surrealist circle of artists and writers, including André Breton, Salvador Dalí, and Yves Tanguy.
Carrington’s early paintings and writings combined dreamlike imagery with personal symbolism, where animals, mysterious figures, and surreal environments reflected her interest in identity and imagination. After World War II disrupted her life in Europe, Carrington moved to Mexico, where she developed her mature artistic style. There, she formed a close friendship with Remedios Varo and became increasingly inspired by alchemy, ancient magic, and spiritual traditions. Her works often challenged patriarchal structures by centering powerful female subjects, portraying women as magical figures, priestesses, and agents of transformation.
Throughout her career, Carrington created paintings, sculptures, and literary works that blended mythology, folklore, and the supernatural. Her later sculptures expanded her fascination with fantastical hybrid creatures, while her writing continued her exploration of surreal worlds and unconventional perspectives. As one of the last major figures connected to the original Surrealist movement, Carrington left a lasting legacy through her unique visual language, feminist themes, and depictions of women, animals, and mystical realms.