- 359
Joan Miró
Estimate
200,000 - 300,000 GBP
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Description
- Joan Miró
- UBU ROI (LE VOYAGE DE RETOUR)
- signed Miró (lower right)
- watercolour over lithographic base on paper
- 42 by 65cm., 16 1/2 by 25 5/8 in.
Provenance
Tériade, Paris
Heinz Berggruen, Paris
Aquavella Galleries, New York
Perls Gallery, New York, 1982
Private Collection, Madrid
Acquired from the above by the present owner
Heinz Berggruen, Paris
Aquavella Galleries, New York
Perls Gallery, New York, 1982
Private Collection, Madrid
Acquired from the above by the present owner
Condition
Executed on cream wove paper, not laid down, attached to the mount at the upper centre edge. All four edges are deckled. There is some very light discolouration to the extreme edges consistent with age. Otherwise, this work is in overall very good original condition. The colours are exceptionally fresh and vibrant.
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
"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. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."
Catalogue Note
This unique work, a gouache over printed lithograph, was one of a series of paintings made by Miró around 1954 in anticipation of a new edition of the celebrated Alfred Jarry play 'Ubu Roi', to be published by Tériade, the noted editor of Verve magazine. Tériade aptly chose Miró to illustrate the text as Miró, one of the original Surrealists, would have been very familiar with the text and its profound influence on his circle.
Jarry's character of Ubu Roi (Pere Ubu) was the modernist anti-hero. Cruel and coarse, acting always outside the rules of polite society, Ubu ingratiates himself into the court of the King of Poland, eventually killing his host. It is Ubu's entry into the Polish Court that is illustrated in the present work. The absurdist pathways of this character fascinated the Surrealists who saw a prescient reflection of their current society and its political players. Specifically for Miró, his depiction of Ubu Roi was a thinly veiled critique of the Franco regime in his native Spain.
Although these works were made in the early 1950s, they were not publicly shown until the early 1980s. An exhibition of the entire series took place at Perls Gallery in New York in 1982. John Russell, writing in the New York Times, effused: 'The radiance of the color, the energy of the drawing and the freedom of the invention make these paintings a joy to look at if we have never heard of Alfred Jarry and regard General Franco as a fabulous monster, long forgotten' (John Russell, 'Critics' Choices', The New York Times, 11 th April, 1982, p. 3).
Jarry's character of Ubu Roi (Pere Ubu) was the modernist anti-hero. Cruel and coarse, acting always outside the rules of polite society, Ubu ingratiates himself into the court of the King of Poland, eventually killing his host. It is Ubu's entry into the Polish Court that is illustrated in the present work. The absurdist pathways of this character fascinated the Surrealists who saw a prescient reflection of their current society and its political players. Specifically for Miró, his depiction of Ubu Roi was a thinly veiled critique of the Franco regime in his native Spain.
Although these works were made in the early 1950s, they were not publicly shown until the early 1980s. An exhibition of the entire series took place at Perls Gallery in New York in 1982. John Russell, writing in the New York Times, effused: 'The radiance of the color, the energy of the drawing and the freedom of the invention make these paintings a joy to look at if we have never heard of Alfred Jarry and regard General Franco as a fabulous monster, long forgotten' (John Russell, 'Critics' Choices', The New York Times, 11 th April, 1982, p. 3).