Leonora Carrington

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Lore & Background

Carrington was born into a wealthy Roman Catholic family in Lancashire, England. Expelled from two schools for rebellious behavior, she studied art in Florence and London, and became familiar with Surrealism through a copy of Herbert Read's book *Surrealism* (1936) given by her mother. In 1937 she met German Surrealist Max Ernst at a party in London; they bonded and returned to Paris, later settling in Saint-Martin-d'Ardèche in southern France. During World War II, Ernst was arrested by French authorities as a 'hostile alien' and later by the Gestapo because his art was considered 'degenerate'; he escaped to the United States with help from Peggy Guggenheim. After Ernst's arrest, Carrington was devastated, went to Spain, was gang-raped by Spanish soldiers in a hotel, and after a psychotic break was admitted to an asylum in Santander, where she was treated with Cardiazol shock therapy and Luminal. She escaped in Portugal and entered a marriage of convenience with Mexican diplomat Renato Leduc, taking Mexican nationality in 1942.

Reader's Guide

Carrington's significance lies in her role as a pioneering female surrealist who challenged the movement's tendency to treat women as muses rather than artists. Her work, such as *Self-Portrait* (also called *The Inn of the Dawn Horse*, 1937–38) and *Portrait of Max Ernst* (1939), used heavy symbolism to explore psychic freedom and ambivalence in relationships. In Mexico, she created the mural *El Mundo Magico de los Mayas* (1963) for the Museo Nacional de Antropología and designed the poster *Mujeres conciencia* for the women's liberation movement in 1973. She frequently spoke about women's 'legendary powers' and the need for women to take back 'the rights that belonged to them.' Carrington believed psychic freedom could not be achieved until political freedom was accomplished, and she understood that 'greater cooperation and sharing of knowledge between politically active women in Mexico and North America' was important for emancipation. She won the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Women's Caucus for Art convention in New York in 1986.

Did You Know?

• Carrington was expelled from two schools, including New Hall School in Chelmsford, for rebellious behavior.
• At age ten, she saw her first Surrealist painting in a Left Bank gallery in Paris and later met many Surrealists, including Paul Éluard.
• When presented at Court, she brought a copy of Aldous Huxley's *Eyeless in Gaza* (1936) to read instead, because she had no intention of being 'sold to the highest bidder.'
• She was treated with Cardiazol shock therapy and Luminal after a psychotic break in an asylum in Santander.
• Carrington took Mexican nationality in 1942 after a marriage of convenience with Mexican diplomat Renato Leduc.