The Mexico City home studio of renowned Surrealist artist Leonora Carrington is undergoing a transformation from a public museum to a research center, as reported by the Spanish newspaper El País. This shift in plans comes amidst a disagreement between the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana (UAM), which owns the property, and unionized staff associated with the school.
Located on Chihuahua Street in Mexico City’s Roma neighborhood, Carrington’s three-story house served as her residence and workspace for over sixty years. The artist’s prolific output has garnered international acclaim and set auction records following her passing in 2011.
Filmmaker Kim Evans once described the house as embodying the same surreal quality found in Carrington’s paintings. The artist’s son, Pablo Weisz Carrington, had initially intended to convert the home into a museum where visitors could explore her living quarters, studio, and gardens filled with a vast collection of objects, photos, and sketches, much like Frida Kahlo’s Casa Azul in Coyoacán.
In 2017, Weisz Carrington sold the property to UAM for 12 million pesos, with plans to open a public museum showcasing 45 of Carrington’s sculptures donated by her son. However, UAM has now announced that the house will serve as a documentation center instead, with a focus on research and academic pursuits.
Yissel Arce Padrón, UAM’s general coordinator of Outreach, explained that the decision was driven by the institution’s research priorities. On the other hand, Rodolfo Pérez, the general secretary of the university’s workers’ union, alleged that UAM violated a labor agreement by failing to create permanent positions for unionized staff.
Padrón refuted these claims, citing the university’s strategic planning and budget management. She emphasized that the decision was not a result of a dispute but rather a reflection of broader considerations regarding funding and resource allocation within the public university system.
Hyperallergic has reached out to UAM and the workers’ union for further clarification on the situation. As developments unfold, the future of Leonora Carrington’s former home studio remains in flux, with its transformation into a research center marking a new chapter in the legacy of this pioneering artist.
