Leonora Carrington

Known for: Surrealist painting drawing on alchemy and Celtic mythology

Leonora Carrington was born into an English aristocratic family and ran away to join the Surrealist movement in Paris at 19, becoming Max Ernst's companion and a central figure in the group. After Ernst's internment by the French authorities and her own hospitalization following a breakdown in Spain, she eventually settled in Mexico City in 1942, where she lived for the rest of her life. Her paintings draw on alchemy, Celtic mythology, and feminist spirituality in imagery of extreme formal elaboration.