Image Courtesy: Google Doodle
Leonora Carrington (6 April 1917 – 25 May 2011) was a British-born surrealist painter and novelist. She lived most of her adult life in Mexico City and was one of the last surviving participants in the surrealist movement of the 1930s.
Life and Career
Carrington was born in Lancashire, England, on 6 April 1917. She was the daughter of a wealthy textile magnate, and from a young age, she showed a talent for art. She attended the Chelsea School of Art in London, where she met and became friends with other notable surrealist artists, including Max Ernst.
Carrington’s career began in the 1930s when she started exhibiting her paintings in London. Her work was heavily influenced by the surrealist movement, and she often depicted strange, fantastical creatures in her paintings. In 1937, she had her first solo exhibition in London, which was well-received by both critics and the public.
In 1939, Carrington met Max Ernst, who was also living in London at the time. They quickly fell in love and began a romantic and artistic partnership that lasted for several years. When World War II broke out, Ernst was arrested by the British authorities as an enemy alien and sent to an internment camp. Carrington was devastated by his arrest and eventually suffered a nervous breakdown.
After her recovery, Carrington moved to New York and began a new phase in her career. She continued to paint, but she also started writing, publishing several short stories and a novel, “The Hearing Trumpet,” in 1974. The book was well-received and is now considered a classic of surrealist literature.
In late 1942, Carrington moved to Mexico, where she spent the rest of her life. She continued to paint and write and also began sculpting. Her work became more abstract in her later years, but she continued to explore themes of magic, mythology, and the subconscious.
She died on 25 May 2011 in Mexico City, Mexico at age of 94.
Award and Legacy
Carrington’s work has been exhibited in museums and galleries around the world and has inspired countless artists and writers. She is often celebrated for her contributions to the surrealist movement, as well as for her independent spirit and refusal to conform to societal norms.
On 6 April 2015, Google celebrated Leonora Carrington’s 98th birthday with a doodle.