Leonora Carrington

From 18 February to 19 July 2026, the Musée du Luxembourg is dedicating an exceptional exhibition to Leonora Carrington, a major figure in surrealism and a multi-faceted artist. The first major retrospective in France devoted exclusively to her work, this exhibition reveals the rich and unique universe of a creator who crossed continents and artistic movements with radical freedom.

An initiatory journey between visible and invisible worlds

Born in England in 1917, Carrington travelled throughout Europe, the United States and Mexico, where she settled and became an artistic icon. Her work, steeped in mythology, esotericism and metamorphosis, reflects a profound inner quest. The exhibition draws inspiration from her famous Map of the Human Animal to present an artist in harmony with the forces of life, merging the feminine and masculine, the human and the animal.

A Vitruvian Woman, between Renaissance and rebellion

Through an original curatorial approach, Carrington is presented as a ‘Vitruvian Woman’, echoing Leonardo da Vinci's humanist ideal. This prism allows us to explore her links with classical Italian art, her Celtic roots, her feminist and environmentalist commitment, as well as her pioneering role in surrealism.

An invitation to rediscover

A cult figure in Mexico alongside Frida Kahlo, recently rediscovered in Europe, Carrington fascinates with her audacity and modernity. This exhibition offers a fresh take on her work, combining chronology and themes to reveal a visionary, free-spirited and deeply contemporary artist.

Experience other cultural highlights in the exhibitions.