Step into the magical and mystical world of Leonora Carrington, the British-Mexican painter and novelist, in her debut exhibition in the East of England.

Marking 50 years since the English translation of ‘The Hearing Trumpet’, Leonora Carrington’s 1974 novel, was published, this exhibition offers a fresh exploration of her extraordinary life, career and travels.

What to expect

Featuring over 50 artworks and objects by the British-Mexican artist, and by the artistic friends she made through her travels, as well as artefacts from museums, explore an exciting blend of rare paintings, drawings and prints depicting dream-like and nightmarish images where enchanting characters and creatures come alive in a magical and symbolic dreamscape.

Discover a fascinating array of objects – from Mayan, Mexican, and Roman cultural artifacts to witchcraft relics from East Anglia – that inspired Leonora’s complex and imaginative world.

The East of England’s influence

Leonora Carrington (1917-2011) spent some of her early school years in the east of England. She attended New Hall School, a convent in Chelmsford, but her rebellious spirit led to her expulsion – likely fuelled with a lack of understanding of her dyslexia¹.

These formative years, along with the enchanting local surroundings, left a lasting imprint on her art. Throughout her remarkable career, Leonora created mystical, magical works, weaving together religious iconography, patriarchal symbols, witchcraft, and fairy-tale elements. Her signature small brushstrokes explored deeply personal and universal themes like female sexuality, nature, alchemy, and gender bias.

Discover a new perspective

Avatars & Alliances sheds a new light on her art by exploring its complexity and diversity through a neurodivergent perspective, going beyond conventional interpretations.

Family Activities in this exhibition

Families will also have opportunities to bring their own surrealist creations to life, displaying them alongside the extraordinary works of Leonora Carrington and other major artists.

Featuring artists

Avatars & Alliances also showcases Jessie Makinson, a contemporary artist of Leonora Carrington. Her large paintings show dreamy, fairy tale-like scenes in dramatic settings. Jessie mixes science fiction and folklore, creating hybrid creatures that are part human, part animal. These characters take over colourful landscapes, inviting us to rethink our ideas about fantasy and power.

Click here to find out more about Jessie Makinson

There will also be a display of works by artists who knew Leonora, such as American fashion model turned photographer Lee Miller, Argentinian-born Leonor Fini, English artist and Surrealist advocate Roland Penrose, and her former partner, surrealist painter of the movement, Max Ernst.

Firstsite is delighted to thank our regional and national partners for loans coming from Farleys House & Gallery, Norfolk Museums Service, Colchester Museum, Chelmsford Museum, Saffron Walden Museum, The Viktor Wynd Museum Of Curiosities Fine Art & UnNatural History, and private collections across the UK.

References: [1] Alli Acker, The Flowering of the Crone: Portrait of Leonora Carrington, Produced by Alli Acker. New York: Reel Women Trust Foundation. c1987.