Almine Rech Paris is pleased to present the first solo exhibition at the gallery dedicated to Leonora Carrington (1917–2011), a leading figure in international Surrealism and one of the most distinctive artists in art history. Organized in close collaboration with the Consejo Leonora Carrington and rossogranada, this exhibition, running from September 8 to October 10, 2026, brings together the full, multifaceted range of media explored by the artist throughout her career, including drawing, painting, sculpture, tapestry, masks, works on paper, and writing. Having spanned the upheavals of the 20th century from the rise of fascism to her exile in Mexico, Carrington decisively defies any strictly biographical interpretation, refusing to be framed as a mere muse or disciple of Surrealism. Her profoundly free world does not seek to represent reality but transforms its very laws, opening vital pathways between the visible and the invisible, the human and the animal, nature and culture, dream and matter. A key aspect highlighted in this exhibition is art conceived as a process of transmutation, where nothing remains static and boundaries become completely porous. Dragons, horses, birds, hyenas, hybrid creatures, and androgynous figures constitute a vivid cosmology in perpetual becoming, rooted in an alternative way of thinking about the living world. Drawing from a culture of rare breadth that includes alchemy, tarot, Eastern spiritualities, Celtic mythology, and Mesoamerican traditions, Carrington constructs a unique iconography where ancient knowledge and modern intuitions seamlessly converge. This rich synthesis is evident in featured masterpieces such as The Lovers (1987), Laberinto (1991), and La Naguala (1975), which directly reference these major open-ended realities. After settling in Mexico in 1942, she embraced the country as her chosen home, allowing indigenous cosmologies and popular traditions to deeply nourish her imagination without ever renouncing her British roots. In her fluid universe, linear historical time gives way to a mythical time where the past, present, and future coexist within the same symbolic space. Rejecting any rigid hierarchy between artistic forms, Carrington’s comprehensive practice seamlessly links texts to sculptures and images to narratives across theater, costume design, jewelry, and literature. Special attention is paid to sculpture, a discipline that accompanied the artist until her final days through bronze works created from wax or plasticine models. These sculptures encapsulate the defining figures of her world, acting as protective deities and guides between realms where the material itself becomes the site of constant transformation. Long before contemporary debates on ecological, feminist, or posthumanist issues came to the forefront, Carrington’s work was already dismantling the core dualisms inherited from Western thought, replacing them with a relational view of living beings. Through this exceptional collection, Almine Rech aims to convey the inexhaustible creative power of a historical master who reminds us that transformation is not merely an iconographic theme, but a vital way of being in the world.
– Dr. Mylène Ferrand, art historian and curator
(1) Loan from FAMM (Femmes Artistes du Musée de Mougins) / The Levett Collection
©️ 2026 Estate of Leonora Carrington / ADAGP, Paris – Courtesy of Almine Rech, Consejo Leonora Carrington and rossogranada – Photo: Nicolas Brasseur / ‘Laberinto’, 1991 – Private collection / ©️ 2026 Estate of Leonora Carrington / ADAGP, Paris / ’The Lovers‘, 1987 – Loan from FAMM (Femmes Artistes du Musée de Mougins) / The Levett Collection ©️ ADAGP, Paris
