In September 1945, exiled Surrealist painter Leonora Carrington completed her masterpiece *Les Distractions de Dagobert* (also known as *The Pleasures of Dagobert*), a densely layered canvas teeming with mythical figures, ritual fires, and medieval references. The painting, loosely inspired by the 7th-century Merovingian king Dagobert, depicts the monarch in a red robe on a cow-headed cart surrounded by enigmatic scenes. After a fierce 10-minute bidding war at Sotheby’s New York in May 2024, the work sold for $28.5 million to Argentine collector Eduardo F. Costantini, shattering Carrington’s previous auction record of $3.3 million. The painting is now on view at the Philadelphia Museum of Art as part of the exhibition “Dreamworld: Surrealism at 100,” the show’s only North American stop.
The record-breaking sale and subsequent museum display underscore Carrington’s belated recognition as a towering figure of Surrealism, a movement long dominated by male artists. The $28.5 million price—nearly nine times her prior record—signals a dramatic revaluation of her work in the art market, driven by renewed scholarly and curatorial attention. The painting’s journey from a 1995 sale at $475,500 to Costantini’s winning bid also highlights the explosive growth in demand for works by historically overlooked women Surrealists. By placing *Les Distractions de Dagobert* in a major international exhibition, the Philadelphia Museum of Art and its partners are cementing Carrington’s legacy as a central, rather than peripheral, figure in 20th-century art history.