Museo Leonora Carrington, Surrealist art museum in San Luis Potosí, Mexico.
The Museo Leonora Carrington occupies the former processing wing of the 19th-century panopticon prison that now forms the Centro de Artes San Luis Potosí. Its rough reddish-brown stone facade has two square towers with slit windows and stepped crenellated tops, a stepped gable with a cross relief, and a wide arch inscribed 1904. Inside, three exhibition rooms and a library hold Carrington's sculptures, jewelry, engravings, and personal objects.
The building began as a 19th-century prison laid out as a panopticon, the central-tower surveillance system proposed by Jeremy Bentham. The prison moved out in 1999, and architect Alejandro Sánchez restored most of the complex between 2005 and 2009. The museum section was restored in 2017–2018 and opened on 22 March 2018 under governor Juan Manuel Carreras, with a collection donated by Carrington's son Pablo Weisz Carrington.
The artworks throughout the museum reflect Carrington's deep interest in the supernatural and mythological beings that became central to her artistic language. Visitors encounter these themes repeatedly across sculptures, drawings, and objects that reveal how she saw the world around her.
The museum offers guided tours and workshops where visitors can learn more about surrealist techniques and artistic methods. It is helpful to check opening hours in advance and plan time to explore both the indoor galleries and outdoor sculpture patios.
The museum houses an International Centre for the Study of Surrealism that holds annual symposiums and maintains research collections about the movement. This center transforms the space into both a gallery and an active research hub for scholars and art historians.
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