Villa Pilar: The Rediscovery of a Leonora Carrington Painting

It was in Spain that Carrington experienced mental health struggles and entered the sanatorium, where she painted just two pieces: Villa Pilar and Down Below. Both allude to the horrors of mid-20th century mental hospitals, and both will also be on display at the Freud Museum’s exhibit, Leonora Carrington: The Symptomatic Surreal, which runs through August 10th. Carrington’s work is put in conversation with Sigmund Freud’s collection of antiquities, making it hard not to wonder if her talent is being further pathologized instead of celebrated in its own right.

Creative ambition in women has too often been read as proof of imbalance rather than evidence of genius. Camille Claudel, who modeled the hands and feet for Auguste Rodin’s The Burghers of Calais while developing her own sculptural voice, had her work censored for what critics deemed inappropriate sensuality. She was committed to an asylum in 1913 and remained there until her death 30 years later. Claudel is still remembered more as Rodin’s muse and lover than as a gifted artist.

After leaving the sanatorium in Spain, Carrington made her way to Mexico by way of New York and eventually became a central figure in the Mexican feminist movement. Her resilience is evident in the paintings, sketches, plays, and novels she produced there. It is likewise evident in the flurry of attention her story has recently received. In addition to the Freud Museum exhibit, the Musée du Luxembourg is holding the first major show in France devoted exclusively to Carrington’s work. A movie produced in 2025 about her love affair with Ernst is being re-released in theaters after a run at film festivals.

The rediscovery of Villa Pilar is a timely reminder of the barriers female artists faced and continue to face in establishing a reputation on their own terms without being overshadowed by their struggles or romantic interests. Now, contemporary creators and institutions have a responsibility to help them do so.