The Economist - USA (2019-12-21)

104 Holiday specials The EconomistDecember 21st 2019

T

hewhite-washedconcretewallsofnumber 194 CalleChihua-

hua,inRoma,a fashionabledistrictofMexicoCity,donotgive

muchaway.Thefaçadeisasplainasitcomes.Thewindowsare

shuttered.Bangloudlyonthewoodendooranda securityguard

withinanswers:“There’snobodyhere.”Askwhythehouseisde-

scribedonlineasa museumandhisansweris:“Fakenews.There’s

nothinghereatall.”

Formorethansixdecadesuntilherdeath,aged94,in2011,

194 CalleChihuahuawasthehomeofLeonoraCarrington,a British

Surrealistpainterandwriter.WhenEdwardJames,a Britishex-pat

in Mexicowho wasboth her patron and friend,first visited

herthereinthe1940s,hefoundherstudioburstingwithlife:

“Smallintheextreme,itwasanill-furnishedandnotverywell-

lightedroom...Theplacewasa combinedkitchen,nursery,bed-

room, kennel and junk-store. The disorder was apocalyptic.

Myhopesandexpectationsbegantoswell.”

Jameswasrighttobehopeful.Carringtonbecame

oneofthemostaccomplishedSurrealistartistsofthe

20thcentury.Butnotinthewaymanypeopleofthat

timeunderstoodthegenre.

InsteadshetookSurrealismtoa placethatwascen-

tredonwomen,notasmusesorfemmesenfants, butas

domesticgoddesses,cooks,sorceresses,witches.Her

paintingsdepictwomeninstinctivelyintouchwith

thenaturalandsupernaturalworlds,andthehalf-real,

half-mythicalanimalsandbirdsthatroamedwithin

them.Acritic visitingherfirstsoloexhibitioninNew

Yorkin 1948 foundthe 27 picturesondisplay“hopping

withdemons...feathery,hairy,horny,half-luminous

creaturesmergedimperceptibly intobirds,animals

Thesorceress

inthejungle

MEXICO CITY AND XILITLA

Leonora Carrington Searching for Britain’s most

important Surrealist

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