Surrealist Insights: Leonora Carrington’s Reflections on Art and Life

Leonora Carrington (1917-2011) is celebrated as one of the most remarkable yet often overlooked figures in British Surrealism. Her intriguing life journey encompasses her departure from her family for a painter nearly two decades her senior, her vibrant life in Mexico, and her commitment to art until the age of 90.

We Represented the Old Bourgeoisie

Carrington was the sole daughter among three siblings of a Protestant textile tycoon from Lancashire, England, and his Irish Catholic spouse, Maurie. She once remarked,

Our family was neither cultured nor intellectual – we were just the good old bourgeoisie, after all.

Leonora Carrington, “Leonora and me“, The Guardian.

The family resided in a foreboding mansion, a prominent feature in many of her later artworks. Her parents possessed contrasting personalities. Carrington’s industrious father disapproved of her pursuing studies at an art college. However, with her mother’s support, she eventually enrolled to study the Old Masters in Florence. Observing her paintings reveals her affection for gold, vermilion, and earthy tones influenced by Italian art.

Max, My Greatest Teacher

Upon her return from Italy, her father sought to arrange a marriage for her. He introduced her as a debutante, hosting a grand ball in her honor at the Ritz. She even had an audience with King George V!

Carrington was repulsed by the ball. She transformed her disdain for the debutante season into a surreal short story titled The Debutante. A defining moment occurred in 1936 when, at just 19 years old, she attended the inaugural Surrealist exhibition in London. She expressed,

I fell for Max [Ernst]’s artwork before I fell for Max himself.

Leonora Carrington, “Leonora and me”, The Guardian.

It was a revelation.

She later encountered him in person at a dinner party, where she fell deeply in love. They departed London together to make a new life in Paris, despite Ernst’s marital status and ongoing relationship with his wife. Carrington immersed herself in the artistic life in Paris, stating:

Max provided my education: I absorbed insights about art and literature. He taught me everything.

Leonora Carrington, “Leonora and me”, The Guardian.

She encountered Picasso:

A typical Spaniard – he believed all women were enamored with him, [but] I certainly wasn’t. Yet I appreciated his art.

Leonora Carrington, “Leonora and me”, The Guardian.

And Salvador Dalí:

I happened to meet him one day at André Breton’s store. At that moment, he didn’t stand out – he appeared just like everyone else. It was only after his journey to America that he began to seem remarkable.

Leonora Carrington, “Leonora and me”, The Guardian.

Take Me to the Mexican Embassy!

In 1938, just prior to the onset of World War II, Ernst left his wife, and the couple relocated to Provence. This period was marked by intense creativity, with each artist inspiring the other. Carrington also began writing during this time. Their artistic paradise was disrupted when the Nazis targeted Ernst as a perceived enemy alien due to his Jewish heritage, leading to his internment. Devastated, Carrington fled to Spain, where she experienced a mental breakdown and was admitted to a psychiatric facility in Santander.

Carrington’s father attempted to arrange for her release, seeking a placement in a sanatorium in South Africa. She resisted this and, while awaiting a boat arranged through her father’s contacts, she made a daring escape by leaping into a taxi, exclaiming, “Take me to the Mexican embassy!” It was her first thought as she recalled a friend from Paris, Renato Leduc, who had served as a Mexican diplomat. The only practical solution he envisioned was a marriage proposal, and so they wed.

How Peculiar It Was

This marriage was a practical arrangement, compounded by unexpected complexities. While they awaited a boat in Lisbon destined for the U.S., Ernst arrived in the same city to take the same voyage after being released from the camp, accompanied by his new partner, art collector Peggy Guggenheim. Carrington recounted this time of waiting for their shared journey to New York as “very strange.” This was notably challenging since Guggenheim’s previous husband, Ernst’s former spouse, and a group of children were also present for the trip.

Upon reaching New York, Carrington ended her marriage and moved to Mexico, which provided her with renewed creative inspiration. She crafted sculptures and paintings drawing from Aztec and Mayan narratives. It was there that she met Csizi (“Chiki”) Weisz, a Hungarian photographer who had worked as a darkroom manager for Robert Capa during the Spanish Civil War. He would later become her husband. They shared a joyful marriage, spending over sixty years together and raising two sons, Gabriel and Pablo. In 1970, she played a significant role in establishing the Women’s Liberation Movement in Mexico before passing away at the age of 94.