A first-time artistic pairing across New York and San Francisco
Leonora Carrington and Cecilia Vicuña will be presented together for the first time in a two-part exhibition organized by Lehmann Maupin and Gallery Wendi Norris. The first presentation, titled "Leonora Carrington & Cecilia Vicuña," opens at Lehmann Maupin in New York on November 19. A second installment is scheduled for Gallery Wendi Norris in San Francisco in January.
The two venues will show distinct selections, shaped in part by the scale of each gallery, while sharing some works. The exhibition brings historical pieces by Carrington, a leading Surrealist, into conversation with works by Vicuña, including new paintings.
The artists' connection began in 1969, when Vicuña met Carrington in Mexico City. Carrington offered advice that helped Vicuña translate a vision into a painting process she later called Calcomanías. The exhibition explores that artistic influence alongside shared interests in the natural world, imaginative forms and hybrid creatures.
Among Vicuña's new works is "Polvo del Sahara / Saharan Desert Dust" (2026), which depicts an underwater scene and a staircase extending toward the horizon. Carrington's "Eye Witness" (1987) is also among the works selected for the presentations.
By placing the artists' work side by side, the project offers audiences a way to consider how artistic ideas travel across generations. Such cross-generational encounters can broaden how viewers understand both modern art's legacies and the directions contemporary practice may take.
