Surreal Spaces: The Life and Art of Leonora Carrington

A biography of the pioneering artist Leonora Carrington, told through the houses and locations that had meaning for her and are fundamental to an understanding of her work. Carrington is now considered as one of the vanguard, not only in histories of women artists but also Surrealism. She abandoned family, society, and England to embrace new experiences and mix with artists in Europe and America, forging her own unique artistic style. Each place and interior became etched in her memory, echoed in her paintings and writings.

Format: Hardback
Length: 224 pages
Publication date: 01 June 2023
Publisher: Thames & Hudson Ltd

Leonora Carrington, a remarkable and pioneering artist, is the subject of an illustrated biography that delves into the houses and locations that held profound significance for her and play a crucial role in understanding her work. This captivating visual chronicle takes the reader on a personal journey through the various spaces that Carrington inhabited, revealing how they infused and haunted her art and the people she knew.

Carrington, who has long been underrated, is now recognized as a pioneer in the fields of women artists and Surrealism. Her interests, which encompassed feminism, ecology, and life-enhancing art, resonate with many today. Challenging the conventions of her time, Carrington abandoned her family, society, and England to embrace new experiences and forge connections with artists in Europe and America. This led to the development of her unique artistic style, which was characterized by a fusion of influences and a bold rejection of traditional norms.

Spanning from her childhood in Lancashire to her adulthood in London, Cornwall, France, Spain, Mexico, New York, and finally back to Mexico, each place and interior left an indelible mark on Carrington's memory. Whether it was her grandmother's kitchen with its towering stove, Parisian cafés, a rural French hideaway, a sanatorium in Santander, or her Mexican sanctuary, these spaces found their way into her paintings and writings, sometimes manifesting decades later. Carrington expressed her profound connection with houses in her novella "The Hearing Trumpet" (1974), writing, "Houses are really bodies. We connect ourselves with walls, roofs, and objects just as we hang on to our livers, skeletons, flesh, and blood streams."

Through this captivating biography, readers gain a deeper appreciation for Leonora Carrington's life and art, shedding light on the profound influence of the spaces she inhabited on her creative journey. Her story serves as a testament to the power of personal experiences and the enduring legacy of an artist who defied societal expectations and forged her own path.

Weight: 808g
Dimension: 247 x 178 x 29 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780500025512