Joaquim Mir

Sala Parés, Barcelona
Galería Barbié, Barcelona
Acquired from the above by the present owner in 1998

Palma de Mallorca, Fundació La Caixa, Joaquím Mir, itinerari vital, 1997-98, no. 42, illustrated

Arturo Ramón, Obras Singulares, Barcelona, 1990, no. 7, illustrated

The following condition report has been provided by Hamish Dewar Ltd, 13 & 14 Mason's Yard, London SW1Y 6BU: UNCONDITIONAL AND WITHOUT PREJUDICE Structural Condition The canvas is lined and is securely attached to a keyed wooden stretcher. This is providing a stable structural support. There is some minor ruckling in the upper right corner of the composition and the canvas would benefit from retensioning. Paint surface The paint surface has a relatively even varnish layer. There is evidence of minor frame abrasion running intermittently along the right vertical framing edge and there a few very small paint losses within the upper right corner of the composition. Inspection under ultra-violet light shows small scattered retouchings within the sky and running intermittently along the upper horizontal framing edge. Inspection under ultra-violet light also shows three larger areas of retouching which appear to correspond to previously repaired tears. These areas are in the upper left quadrant, the centre, and the centre right of the composition and measure 19 by 5 cm, 20 by 4 cm and 23 by 3 cm respectively. It should be noted these three areas of retouching appear larger than is really necessary and could be reduced with more careful inpainting. Summary The painting would therefore appear to be in relatively good and stable condition and would benefit from cleaning, restoration and revarnishing including the removal and careful replacement of any previous restoration work.
"This lot is offered for sale subject to Sotheby's Conditions of Business, which are available on request and printed in Sotheby's sale catalogues. The independent reports contained in this document are provided for prospective bidders' information only and without warranty by Sotheby's or the Seller."

Painted circa 1901, the present view is situated in the south-west of Mallorca. The prominent castle of San Tueri dates from Roman times, and to this day commands remarkable views across the surrounding countryside. 

Mir first settled in Mallorca in 1900, and the following four years that he lived on the island proved to be decisive for him. Obsessed with the beauty of the dramatic vistas and distinctive limestone rock formations that characterise the island's varied landscape and stunning coast line, the canvases from this period such as the present work reflect an expressive abandon that abstracts the terrain, and captures the untrammelled beauty of the countryside through an explosive range of brilliant colour harmonies. Early on Mir was joined in Mallorca by fellow Catalan Santiago Rusiñol and Belgian painter William Degouve de Nuncques, both of whom shared Mir's passion for the island's unique qualities, the sense of the primitive that it embraced, and in particular its remarkable light.  

Mir’s first major exhibition at the Sala Parés in Barcelona in 1901 included many of his Mallorcan canvases and caused a sensation among the public. Even the most critical reviewers proclaimed that the most important Catalan painter of landscape had been born. Buoyed up by the success of his 1901 show, Mir became further determined in his efforts to express the special qualities of the island, to the extent that by the end of 1903 he was living in the mountains in virtual isolation. There, in pursuit of ever more dramatic landscapes to paint he climbed to precipitous heights, on one occasion suffering a fall that left him unconscious for several hours. Indeed, so intense became his labours in Mallorca that by 1904 he began to suffer psychologically, and was interned for a period at an asylum in Reus.