Visiting the Leonora Carrington, Rebel Visionary Exhibition at Newlands House Gallery, Petworth, England.

The Minotaur's Daughter, bronze sculpture. Leonora Carrington

I first came across one of Carrington’s paintings whilst flicking through a book at a local library.  The fantastical scene caught my eye and held my attention, so imaginative and strange, yet I found it more relatable than many other surrealist paintings – I felt a connection. I made a note of the artist’s name, and later on at home I looked her up on YouTube.  I was intrigued by her story of growing up as a rebellious girl in England, and running away to foreign shores as soon as she could. I borrowed her biography, written by her cousin’s daughter, the writer Joanna Moorhead. I bought her short stories. And I pored over her paintings. I was inspired to create a surreal artwork ‘Evolution Revolution’ for the Gwenllian Ashley Art Prize 2024 which you can read more about here

I was very excited to visit the exhibition, curated by Joanna Moorhead, and to revisit the pretty olde worlde cobbled streets and antique shops of Petworth.  Being able to get close to so many of Carrington’s works, and such a variety: not just paintings, but sculptures, tapestries and masks, was fantastic fuel for the connection I felt to her work. Highlights for me were the papier-mâché masks made for a production of The Tempest in 1959, and the bronze sculpture of The Daughter of the Minotaur. The gallery is a large detached house, and all of it is dedicated to this show.  Exploring the different rooms and corridors felt a bit like voyaging through Carrington’s mind, it was immersive, like Alice falling down the rabbit-hole. It felt very special.

The show is on until October 26th, 2024 and is well worth a visit. https://newlandshouse.gallery/