Work by artist with Moate links in Irish Museum of Modern Art
by Navjyoti Dalal
Recently, the Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA) acquired two artworks by surrealist artist Leonora Carrington. The paintings, an untitled, and one called The High Queen of Ireland, are rendered in Leonora's surrealist style, and were donated to the IMMA collection.
Celebrated in Mexico and US for her artistic practice, Leonora Carrington had Moate links, in that her mother (Marie Moorhead) was from the Westmeath town.
Her father, Harold Carrington was an Englishman, while her grandfather, Dr. Henry Moorhead (1860–1942), served as the first Catholic district medical doctor appointed to the town of Moate.
While she grew up in England, Leonora spent many holidays at 'grandma Moorhead's home', as was witnessed in a painting of her grandmother's kitchen.
In fact, her love for the Celtic myth and folklore began through the stories her mother and grandmother would share with her. When she returned home to Lancashire, England, the stories accompanied her.
The recently acquired artworks are currently on display at the IMMA and were painted between 1945-1955.
While Leonora grew up in England, later moving to Mexico in 1942, seeking asylum from wartime Europe, her affinity to her mother's homeland, particularly Celtic myth, folklore, fairytales, alchemy and the occult continued on.
A powerful name in international art circles, Leonora lived Mexico until her death in 2011. Not many know that she was also a writer and has written short stories for children among other literary works.
In September 2013 the IMMA hosted the first ever exhibition of Leonora's art, The Celtic Surrealist, recognising her Irish roots and the pivotal role her art had played during the Surrealist movement.
It was also the time when her son, Gabriel Weisz, and grandson, Daniel Weisz, visited Leonora's ancestral home, opposite St Patrick's Church, which was then hosting a dental practice by Dr Kevin O Halloran. Not much has changed, the premises now houses Truly, another dental practice.
In an interview with this paper, Daniel described Ireland as his grandmother's 'spiritual home', and said that she had visited Ireland on many an occasion.