"The line comes from afar, bursts apart, leaving traces like those of exploded particles on photos showing the effects of cosmic rays; or else, coming from very close, it breaks vigorously against the surface and spreads out, a dark, majestic river... Colours of the rainbow are displayed in groups of large patches… (and) certainly there are always signs." description of Miró's work by Raymond Queneau (1975)
Andipa Gallery is delighted to announce a selling exhibition of original artworks and rare graphics by Joan Miró. Taking place from 7 April to 7 May 2011 at Andipa Gallery, Knightsbridge, the show coincides with the first major London retrospective of Miró’s work for almost 50 years, The Ladder of Escape at the Tate Modern, and offers visitors a rare opportunity to acquire some of the finest original works by this master of 20th Century art.
Acoris Andipa, Director of Andipa Gallery, comments:
“The artwork of Miró is included in public and private collections worldwide and as a key figure of the surrealist movement his work will always remain highly sought after. It is interesting that considering Miró's importance as one of the finest modern masters of his time so few works by the artist come up at auction, a sign of how cherished they are by collectors."
Unique works on paper, including pieces from Miro’s 1965 Le Courtisan Grotesque series will be on show. These have been described as displaying “the most genuine Miró, the one of the astral signed (and) symbolic objects who uses his own mature language, without hesitations.” Daniel Giralt-Miracle (art critic and historian).
Miró’s most iconic and admired engravings, lithography and etchings will also be on display. Works will include the original lithograph Montroig 2, named after the Catalan village to which Miró felt a deep connection, returning to throughout his life, and which inspired some of his most seminal works including The Farm, also on show at the Tate Modern retrospective. These highly sought after brightly coloured pieces make up an integral part of the artist’s oeuvre and demonstrate Miró’s expert use of carborundum to produce richly textural pieces that reflect the original qualities of painting.
Miró was among the most prominent of modern artists, developing a unique Surrealist language that expressed freedom and energy through its fantastical imagery, vibrant use of colour and free use of paint, often splattered across his canvases creating an explosive effect. The more political side to Miró’s work reflects the turbulent tim es of the Spanish Civil War and repression under the Franco regime. His works express and react to conflict, protest and political upheaval. In our current instable and uncertain times, perhaps this more restless and anxious aspect of Miró’s practice is at its most resonant.
Joan Miró,, (1893 - 1983) Composition subrealiste
Pencil, wax crayon and India ink wash on paper, 1949, Signed and dated on back: Miro/1949
30.5 x 28.5 cm (12 x 11 1/4 in.)
TAG 6439
Provenance
Galerie Melki, Paris | Hayakawa Gallery, Osaka | Private Collection
Exhibited
Paris, Galerie Melki, Miró, 1974, no. 20, illustrated p. 47
Saint Paul de Vence, Maeght Foundation, Barcelone 1947-2007, July-November 2007, p. 231, illustrated in colour p. 6
Literature
Jacques Dupin & Ariane Lelong-Mainaud, Joan Miró Drawings Catalogue Raisonné Vol II, 1938-1959, Paris 2010, no. 1192, illustrated p. 188
.
Joan Miró,, (1893 - 1983)
Deux femmes dans la nuit
Ink, gouache and pastel on paper, 1970, Signed lower right: Miro
35.3 x 33 cm (13 7/8 x 13 in.)
TAG 6440
Provenance
Pierre Matisse Gallery, New York Private Collection, USA
.
Joan Miró, (1893 - 1983)
Le Courtisan Grotesque no 4
Original aquarelle, mixed media on paper, 1965
Signed and inscribed in pencil, lower right
41.5 x 29 cm (16 3/8 x 11 3/8 in.)
TAG 6090
Joan Miró, (1893 - 1983)
Le Courtisan Grotesque no. 3
Original aquarelle, mixed media on paper, 1965
Signed and inscribed in pencil, lower right
41.5 x 29 cm (16 3/8 x 11 3/8 in.)
TAG 6095
Lithograph printed in colours with extensive hand-colouring in black ink, 1964-1969
Signed in pencil
55.5 x 70 cm (21 7/8 x 27 1/2 in.)
TAG 6441
Lithograph on Arches vellum, 1958
H.C. aside from the edition of 100
Dedicated, signed and numbered in pencil
66.1 x 50.2 cm (26 x 19 3/4 in.)
TAG 4336
Lithograph on Guarro paper, 1974
Edition X/XX
Signed and numbered in pencil
75 x 56.8 cm (29 1/2 x 22 3/8 in.)
TAG 4400
Etching, 1981
Edition of 60
Signed and numbered in pencil 161 x 121 cm (63.3 x 47.6 in.)
Lithograph on Rives wove paper, 1975
Edition of 150, Signed and numbered in pencil
33.5 x 25.5 cm (13 1/4 x 10 in.)
TAG 4684
Miró was born in Barcelona in 1893 and earned international acclaim for his work in Surrealism. As a member of the Generation of '27, a collective made up of Spanish poets, writers, painters and film makers, he and others were forced to flee Spain under the Franco Regime. Miró 's surrealist origins evolved out of 'repression' much like all Spanish surrealists whose Catalan ethnicity was subject to persecution by the Franco regime.
Miró was one of the first to develop automatic drawings in rejection of traditional techniques in painting. He wanted the freedom to experiment with different artistic styles and rejected membership to any artistic movement including Surrealism. Andre Breton, the founder of Surrealism, described him as "the most Surrealist of us all."
Although he was living in Barcelona, Miró made frequent visits to Paris to work on printing his lithographs and engravings. In the final decades of his life, Miró worked in different media, producing hundreds of ceramics, temporary window paintings, and tapestry. After receiving a doctorate in 1979 from the University of Barcelona, he passed away four years later in Palma, Spain. In 2008, Miró's La Caresse des etoiles sold at auction for $17m, the highest amount paid for one of his works.
