Leonora Carrington's Surreal Spaces - we review a book about the 20th-century artist, rebel and witch

Moreover, if, after reading this fascinating illustrated biography, anyone who finds themselves drawn to Leonora's footsteps is also tempted to take a trip to Milan. The prestigious Palazzo Reale is currently hosting an extraordinary exhibition – the artist's first monographic retrospective in Italy. The exhibition brings together over 60 works (paintings, drawings, photographs, and archival materials), revealing the multifaceted nature of her work: painting, writing, theater, and critical thought. The works are on view until January 11, 2026.

Leonora Carrington (1917–2011) was a British-Mexican painter, writer, and one of the most important figures of the 20th-century avant-garde. Raised in England, she belonged to a wealthy industrialist family, but quickly rejected expected convention and began her artistic education in London. In the early 1930s, she became involved with the Surrealist circle, and her relationship with Max Ernst introduced her to the European bohemian artistic milieu.

During World War II, she suffered a nervous breakdown and emigrated to Mexico , where her mature style was formed: a blend of mythology, symbolism, magic, alchemy, and personal experience. In Mexico, she became a key figure in the art scene, collaborating with artists such as Remedios Varo and Katia Horna.

Her most important paintings— "The Inn of the Dawn Horse," "Self-Portrait," and "The Giantess" —portray female figures in dreamlike, symbolic spaces. She gained literary fame for her short story "The Hearing Trumpet " and the autobiographical " Down Below," which describes her psychiatric experiences and escape from Europe.

Her work is included in collections at MoMA, Tate, and the Centre Pompidou. She is considered one of the most important Surrealist artists —though she herself resisted this label, emphasizing her creative and intellectual independence.