Leonora Carrington: Dream Weaver

The Rose Art Museum at Brandeis University announces Leonora Carrington: Dream Weaver, a captivating new exhibition opening on January 22, 2025, and on view through June 1, 2025. The presentation marks the first solo exhibition in New England dedicated to the celebrated surrealist Leonora Carrington (1917–2011), a singular artist whose work opens doorways into realms of myth, mysticism, and magic. The exhibition, curated by Dr. Gannit Ankori, Henry and Lois Foster Director and Chief Curator, will feature over 30 of Carrington’s spellbinding artworks, generously loaned from private collections, which have rarely been on public display.

“We’re thrilled and honored to bring Leonora Carrington’s first solo exhibition to New England,” said Ankori. “This presentation offers an extraordinary glimpse into Carrington’s captivating and complex worlds, where exquisite paintings and drawings give form to riveting epistemologies, unbridled imagination, and mystery. Her work is powerful, timeless, and transformative.”

A pioneer of Surrealism, Carrington’s work crosses boundaries and mediums, embodying a boundless curiosity and unorthodox spirit that transcends the conventional. Born into a staid upper-middle-class Anglo-Irish family, Carrington would spend her life freeing herself from the gendered strictures imposed upon her. Carrington’s rebellious spirit found refuge in art and literature, leading her to join the Surrealist movement in Europe. Later, after suffering a mental breakdown and institutionalization, she immigrated to Mexico to escape fascism. Carrington would further develop her visionary art in her adopted homeland of Mexico, where she lived for the rest of her long and productive life.

Dream Weaver celebrates the artist’s creative and technical versatility, displaying pieces in tempera, gouache, acrylic, oil, pencil, pen, and fiber. The earliest works in the exhibition are drawings from 1933-34, including a 1934 self-portrait by the 17-year-old artist. Later drawings by Carrington offer an opportunity to trace the artist’s developing proficiency as a prolific draftswoman. Studies for completed works, such as two preparatory sketches for her 1947 painting Night Nursery Everything, give insight into how Carrington constructed her riveting paintings. In her art, Carrington conjures vivid, otherworldly landscapes populated with fantastical creatures and characters woven from the strands of her unique biography, influences from folklore, and her deep fascination with the occult.

Leonora Carrington: Dream Weaver reveals the complexities of an artist who once stated, “Everything is cosmic” and imbued stunning compositions with profound meaning and rich, symbolic layers. Her fantastical worlds reflect a lifelong pursuit of mystical knowledge, spiritual awakening, and an exploration of the human psyche. Visitors will encounter artworks that balance technical mastery with imaginative depth, illuminating the potent alchemy of myth, mysticism, and personal narrative that Carrington employed to unlock the mysteries of existence.

Leonora Carrington: Dream Weaver will open to the public alongside the exhibition Surrealism(s) Then & Now on January 22, 2025, with an opening reception that evening from 6–8 PM. Exclusively featuring works from the museum’s permanent collection, Surrealism(s) charts the movement’s evolution from its early 20th-century origins to its lasting influence on today’s artists. Both exhibitions promise to engage new audiences with the magical and distinctive universes of Leonora Carrington and her fellow surrealists, whose work continues to inspire and captivate.

ABOUT THE ROSE ART MUSEUM

Rose Art Museum fosters community, experimentation, and scholarship through direct engagement with modern and contemporary art, artists, and ideas. Founded in 1961, the Rose is among the nation’s preeminent university art museums and houses one of New England's most extensive collections of modern and contemporary art. Through its exceptional collection, support of emerging artists, and innovative programming, the museum serves as a nexus for art and social justice at Brandeis University and beyond. Located just 20 minutes from downtown Boston, Rose Art Museum is open Wednesdays–Sundays, 11 AM to 5 PM. Admission is free.