Over 70 artworks by Carrington and her circle of friends – including rarely seen paintings, drawings and prints from private collections – along with artefacts, archive material, and objects will be shown in a region that holds a special significance to the artist.
Leonora Carrington (1917-2011) spent many of her early years in the east of England. She attended New Hall School, a convent school in Chelmsford, before being expelled for rebellious behaviour. A lack of understanding of her dyslexia was most likely the cause of this expulsion.
The influence of these experiences and local landscapes can be seen in the mystical and magical pictures she produced throughout her extraordinary career, drawing on religious iconography, patriarchal motifs, witchcraft and fairytale themes.
In the last decade, Leonora Carrington’s reputation has soared – in May 2024, she became the most valuable British-born female artist at auction when her Les Distractions de Dagobert sold for £22 million in New York.
Her work and life continue to fascinate as her importance to the art world grows. Associated with the original Surrealist group in Paris, she is widely credited with bringing a female perspective to the movement, where women could be artists and not just muses.
Following various events during the Nazi occupation of France, Carrington received treatment in Santander hospital but subsequently voluntarily left due to her experiences there. She migrated to Mexico through the support of friends. These times during her life led her to be involved in Women’s Liberation movements in New York and Mexico and reflect on protests and social demonstrations in Mexico.
The scenes, characters, and creatures that Carrington depicts have created a constellation of dream-like and nightmarish images, enthused with magical realism and symbolism, where personal experience is ever-present.
From studying Bosch in Spain to following English Witchcraft movements celebrated with Leonor Fini (1907-1996) and Kati Horna (1912-2000), iconography is channelled through her small brushstrokes, tackling subjects such as female sexuality, the mystery of nature, and alchemy, through a wide array of media, including paintings and novels.
Night of the 8th (1987) shows the wealth of imagery that Carrington can depict in a single picture, with hybrid creatures colliding with vortexes and flowers under a night sky. Memory Tower (1995) appears to change its nature before our eyes as the mysterious rock structure suggests human and creature forms in its rockface. These works and many others will demonstrate the depth of Carrington’s influences and execution.
The exhibition will also include a wide variety of objects, such as skeletons, fossils, Mayan cultural artefacts, and witchcraft objects from East Anglia, reflecting her eclectic interests and subject matter, as shown in her lithograph studies of mutant animals and sketchbooks documenting her world travels.
Works by other artists who knew Carrington will also be featured, such as American fashion model turned photographer Lee Miller (1907-77), English artist and Surrealist advocate Roland Penrose (1900-1984), and her former partner and one of the greatest surrealist painters of the movement, Max Ernst (1891-1976).
Loans will come from Farley Gallery, Sainsbury Centre, Chelmsford Museum, and private collections across the UK.
Firstsite Director Sally Shaw says: “We are thrilled to present this very unusual and insightful exhibition that not only celebrates the incredible artistic legacy of Carrington but also reconnects her work with the landscapes and influences of her early life in East Anglia. This exhibition offers a unique opportunity to experience Carrington’s diverse body of work in a new light, taking a holistic view of her life and work rather than viewing her practice chronologically. This more open and fluid representation of her work helps to highlight the profound connections she made across different cultures and communities. By engaging with her art in an inclusive and innovative way, we hope to inspire a deeper understanding and appreciation of her extraordinary contribution to the art world.
“As with many of our exhibitions, there will be the opportunity for visitors to create and display their artwork alongside Carrington’s, giving us all the opportunity to contribute our own living experiences and inspirations to the exhibition.”
