Joan Miró

Galerie Maeght, Paris
Private Collection, England
Private Collection, London

Very good condition; not laid down; affixed to board periodically along edges; pin holes in upper 2 corners. Paper appears to have been folded, and there is a residual crease through the middle of the sheet. The paper also appears to have been rubbed or creased around the center of the sheet, possible by the artist.
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

In Personnage, Miró appeals to the viewer's sense of childlike wonder with bold, curvaceous lines and striking contrast between densely shaded areas of the work. "The art of Joan Miró heralds a deep grasp of the marvelous. Beyond childlike innocence, romantic fantasy, and poetic reverie, the marvelous for Miró connotes a cosmic perspective and a focus on the dynamics of creation... Miró concentrates on the primordial level where the mystical unity and harmony that underlies all life is revealed" (Sidra Stich, Joan Miró: The development of a Sign Language (exhibition catalogue), Washington University, St. Louis, 1980, p. 8).

Throughout his life Miró was fascinated by the spirit, culture and art of Asia. Completed towards the end of his career, Personnage, with its exuberance of dynamic lines, relates the affinity between Miró's work and the painting and calligraphy of Japan and China.  Miró, furthermore, abandoned mimetic representation and developed a highly personalized vocabulary of signs extracted from recognizable forms, relishing whimsical and ambiguous shapes that take form in shifting and delightful ways. His mastery of evocation and resistance to representation is dramatically engaging. As the artist once said, "I feel the need to achieve the maximum intensity with the minimum of means... What could have more infinite dimensions of expression?" (quoted in Margit Rowell, Miró, New York, 1970, p. 21).