A new exhibition at New York's L'Espace Gallery, titled "Shape of Dreams," presents a rare collection of Leonora Carrington's surrealist bronze sculptures, intricate jewelry, and an interactive tarot booth. Carrington, best known as a painter and novelist, created these sculptures late in life, often with the help of her sons, as her eyesight and arthritis made painting difficult. The show highlights works like "The Palmist" (2011) and other hybrid, mythological figures that extend her imaginative universe into three dimensions.
The exhibition matters because it reveals a lesser-known but significant aspect of Carrington's practice, positioning her as an equally adept sculptor. It also underscores how sculpture allowed her to remain creatively engaged despite physical decline, transforming her personal talismans into public art. By bringing these works to New York, the show invites a broader reassessment of Carrington's legacy, emphasizing that her surrealist vision transcended painting and literature to inhabit physical space.