Leonora Carrington

by Unknown Author

Leonora Carrington developed an iconography of myth, occultism and alchemy that has resonated strongly with younger artists over the past decade and a half. Incredibly gifted as a technician, Carrington was also possessed of a wild imagination, which she realized with great precision in her canvases. Her leading role as a Surrealist in Paris immediately prior to the war, and her life in Mexico City alongside fellow Surrealist expats Remedios Varo, Kati Horna and Edward James, have been the subject of increased interest and scholarly research. This is the first overview of her work to be published since her death in 2011 at the age of 94. Beautifully produced, with a faux-leather binding, a die-cut cover with foil stamping and 138 color plates (including two gatefolds), this volume looks at the many influences on Carrington's many lives. It explores the Celtic imagery that enchanted her as a child, and the Mexican myths, imagery and stories that informed the second half of her career. Metamorphosis and transformation is an ongoing theme in Carrington's hybrid world, populated with disconcerting hybrid creatures, elongated women and people metamorphosing into birds. This theme also emerges on a more intimate level in her self-portraits and portraits of friends and family. Writing was of equal importance as painting for Carrington, and this volume is supplemented with excerpts from unpublished manuscripts.
Leonora Carrington (1917-2011) was born in Lancashire, England. In 1936, she saw Max Ernst's work at the International Surrealist Exhibition in London, and met the artist at a party the following year. They became a couple almost immediately; when the outbreak of the Second World War separated them, Carrington was devastated, and fled to Spain, then Lisbon, where she married Renato Leduc, a Mexican diplomat, and escaped to Mexico, where she eventually established herself as one of the country's most beloved artists.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction

Paperback

First published October 31, 2013

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Reviews

[Juju · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautifully designed artifact, this is a magnificent accompaniment for the Irish Museum of Art's retrospective of Leonora Carrington's work. The book itself is a work of art and is enjoyable enough visually, considering many of the paintings included have rarely been reproduced. Several of the well-considered essays cover Carrington's half-Irish heritage and the influence of Celtic mythology and folklore on her highly personal artwork. My favorite pieces are the illuminating introduction by her son Gabriel Weisz Carrington, and the fantastic essay "Carrington's Mysteries" by Dawn Ades. Ades provides the most knowledgable and illuminating and well researched insights into Carrington's often enigmatic visions.

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

A handsome, beautifully illustrated and written, though rather expensive catalogue for an amazing exhibition which I went to Dublin especially to see. Leonora Carrington was a British artist who spent the whole of her career in France, USA and mainly Mexico. Her extraordinary work is incomprehensively underrated in the UK, though she is one of only a few women artists whose work can fetch over $1 million. Was the catalogue worth the money (45 Euro)? Yes, especially if you are very interested in this artist. Putting a 'date finished' is a bit pointless, I will look at this again and again and use it for research.

[Mir · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume, an accompaniment to an exhibition in Dublin, focuses on the influence of Celtic mythology on Carrington's art.


Leonora Carrington, Portrait of Max Ernst


Max Ernst, Leonora in the Morning Light

[Margarete Maneker · Rating 5 out of 5]

my darling Leonora!!!! such a sweet Irish homage to our Celtic witch

[Kali_sapientia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Densely written. Strictly academic in scope

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 for the illustrations, 2.5-3 for the prose.

[R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting thoughts ✨️🌹