100 Years of Surrealism: Leonora Carrington smashes auction record

and 5 Surrealist exhibitions to see this year

May 21, 2024

André Breton’s influential Surrealist Manifesto, synonymous with the birth of the Surrealist art movement, celebrated the power of the unconscious mind, the importance of dreams, and the rejection of rational thought. This year marks 100 years since the manifesto was published, a milestone that was notably observed in New York last week as major auction houses highlighted artworks by Surrealist giants in their 20th Century and Impressionist & Modern sales.

Leonora Carrington, *Les Distractions de Dagobert* (1945)

In the lead-up to these significant auctions, the art market was fraught with anticipation, especially after Christie’s faced a cybersecurity breach that temporarily took their website offline earlier in the week. Despite these challenges, the market held strong, with some works achieving record-breaking sales.

Notably, Sotheby’s Modern Art Evening Sale saw Leonora Carrington’s Les Distractions de Dagobert (1945) shatter records. The work climbed to a total of $28.5 million including fees after 10 minuets of bidding, far surpassing Carrington’s previous auction record of just $3.2 million. The result not only set a new personal record for Carrington but also established her work as the most valuable artwork by a British-born female artist.

The painting sold to Argentinian developer and businessman Eduardo F. Costantini who was in the room on the night of the sale. Costantini is an ARTnews Top 200 collector known for founding Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires and for setting records for Latin American artists by purchasing key works at auction.

Watch the bidding here:

About the artwork

Born in 1917 to a wealthy Roman Catholic family in the north of England, Leonora Carrington was influenced by both the strict social expectations of her class and the magical Irish myths shared by her grandmother and nanny. These legends greatly impacted her imagination and appeared throughout her paintings. Rebellious and self-assured, Carrington was expelled from multiple convent schools before studying at Amédée Ozenfant’s painting academy in London in 1936, where she developed her disciplined approach to art making.

Carrington’s life changed when she met Surrealist painter Max Ernst at a dinner party. They soon fell in love and moved to France together. There, she became part of Surrealist circles and began producing art and writing stories filled with fantastical elements. André Breton particularly admired her writing and included it in several publications, boosting her reputation. The outbreak of World War II disrupted her life. Ernst was detained for being a German national in France, leading to Carrington’s subsequent mental breakdown and institutionalisation in Spain.

After recovering, Carrington relocated to New York and then Mexico City, where she found a supportive artistic community and married Hungarian photojournalist Emerico Weisz. Her time in Mexico marked a period of significant creative freedom and productivity, leading to the creation of Les Distractions de Dagobert in 1945.

Know someone who would be interested in this post? Feel free to share it.

Les Distractions de Dagobert’s composition is divided into quadrants representing the elements Earth, Air, Wind, and Fire. The painting combines organic forms with vibrant jewel tones, creating a dynamic and otherworldly atmosphere. At the centre is a small depiction of King Dagobert in crimson robes. He rides on a clear path surrounded by orderly trees and blue skies, yet is engulfed in all corners by a patchwork landscape of fantastical scenes.

Carrington’s contributions to Surrealism were particularly significant as she brought a unique, deeply personal perspective to the movement through her work. In Les Distractions de Dagobert we can observe various influences that Carrington amassed throughout her life. These include Mexican volcanic imagery and Aztec fire rituals (bottom left), references to Medieval Irish immrama tales and gallant seafaring adventures in search of paradise (top left), and a personal allusion to her creative friendship with Remedios Varo and Kati Horna represented by the three conspiring figures (top right).

Read Sotheby’s beautifully researched catalogue essay for a full pictorial analysis of the painting

The work stands as a testament to Carrington’s innovative artistry, blending mythology, personal symbolism, and meticulous technique. The record-breaking sale underscores the Surrealist movements origins, evolution, and continued relevance 100 years on from the publication of the manifesto that started it all. Prior to selling at auction this work was already promised to significant upcoming exhibitions including: Leonora Carrington: Dream Weaver to be held at the Rose Art Museum, Brandeis University from January 2025 – June 2025 and Surrealism to be held at the Philadelphia Museum of Art between November 2025 – February 2026.

5 Upcoming Surrealist Exhibitions

The centenary celebrations offer a unique opportunity to reflect on the movement’s rich history and its impact on contemporary art. This will be celebrated in several exhibitions at important international institutions this year including: