At a glance
A rare encounter with the meticulous dreamscapes of the Spanish-Mexican painter, where medieval alchemy and modern science merge into haunting, architectural visions of the subconscious.
Why go
You'll see
Pace of visit
Don't miss
Artlovers Tip
Look closely at the textures of the mysterious instruments and machines; Varo often used very fine brushes to achieve a level of detail that mimics scientific diagrams.
This is exactly the kind of exhibition worth travelling for: a major survey of an artist who is both historically important and still capable of feeling completely unlike anyone else.
For Artlovers, I’d classify it as one of Louisiana’s must-see exhibitions of autumn 2026 — especially because the show includes rarely seen private loans and gives Varo the full institutional scale she deserves.
Artlovers relevance
Inside the exhibition
Meet the artist
Key Movements
Medium
Description
The exhibition presents Varo’s strange, cinematic universe as the product of several worlds colliding: Surrealism, mysticism, technology, quantum physics, mechanics, mythology and personal imagination. Her figures often appear as scientists, travellers or alchemists moving through elaborate interiors and impossible landscapes, where ordinary physical rules no longer apply. Louisiana first introduced Varo to its audience in Fantastic Women in 2020; this exhibition now expands that encounter into a full survey of her life’s work.
Remedios Varo (1908–1963) was born in Spain and later settled in Mexico after fleeing war and political upheaval in Europe. She became one of the most distinctive artists associated with Surrealism, developing a highly personal visual language that combined meticulous technique with fantasy, esotericism and scientific curiosity. Her importance has grown significantly in recent decades as the canon of Surrealism has expanded beyond its traditionally male European centre.
Worth travelling for?
A rewarding destination for those drawn to the technical side of Surrealism and the hidden histories of women artists in the mid-20th century.
Experience as an Artlover
Start with the early sketches to understand Varo’s technical foundation before spending time with the densely detailed 1950s paintings, which reward close, stationary looking.
Don’t treat the strange machines as decorative fantasy. Varo was genuinely fascinated by science, mechanics and new theories of matter, and she fused them with mysticism rather than setting one against the other.
A useful way into her work is to ask: is this a scientific experiment, a ritual, or both?
Remedios Varo
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