Born on April 20, 1893 in Barcelona, Joan Miró began his studies in art early, at the age of fourteen, at the art academy of Barcelona. In 1917 he had his first solo show, the same year he met both Pablo Picasso and Francis Picabia. Although Miró’s early work was influenced by several movements of the time, including Fauvism, Cubism, and Dadaism, he became most well known among the Surrealists, whose first manifesto he signed in 1924. Throughout his career, despite occasional returns to figuration or full abstraction, Miró remained consistently true to the core tenet of Surrealism: working with the intention of liberating the creative powers of the unconscious from the constraints of logic and reason. However, although André Breton, author of the Surrealist manifesto, wrote that Miró was “probably the most Surrealistic of us all,” Miró’s work still stood apart; he omitted the accessible, representational elements present in much of the work by other Surrealists. There is a charming sense of playfulness throughout much of Miró’s oeuvre, though the onset of the Spanish Civil War inspired more solemn and melancholic motifs in his work. The war eventually caused Miró to relocate to Paris in 1936 but by 1940 he was forced to return to Spain to escape the German occupation of France. It was during this period that he began to achieve international acclaim, and a large retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 1941 solidified his reputation within the art world. Miró’s first visit to the US in 1947 marks the beginning of his desire to communicate with a wider audience, specifically by working in public spaces. This ambition furthered his acclaim; for instance, two massive, ceramic murals for the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, representative also of his late-career interest in ceramics, won him a Guggenheim International Award in 1958. In 1975, Miró opened to the public the Fundació Joan Miró, eight years before his death in December 1983. His works are in collections around the world and in his native Spain including Fundació Joan Miró, Barcelona, the Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona, the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia, Madrid, and the Fundación MAPFRE, Madrid. Because of Miró’s art historical significance, and a consistent institutional presence, his market has been reliably strong; according to Sotheby’s Mei Moses, the average compound annual return for Joan Miró was 8.0%, with an 88.7% of works by Miró increasing in value.

Joan Miró

Modern Day Auction

Property of a Lady Joan Miró 1893 - 1983 Naissance d'Ubu signed Miró. (lower left); titled (on the verso) watercolor, pen and ink, pastel and grattage over lithograph mounted on paper sheet: 16 ⅜ by 25 ⅜ in. 40.6 by 63.5 cm. mount: 19 ¾ by 25 ⅞ in. 48.3 by 65.7 cm. Executed circa 1954. ADOM has confirmed the authenticity of this work.

naissance d'ubu

Property from a Distinguished European Collection

Property from a Distinguished European Collection Joan Miró 1893 - 1983 Homme et femme devant le soleil signed Miró (lower right); titled and dated 25/3/70 (on the verso) gouache, brush and ink, ink wash, pastel and pencil on paper 23 ⅜ by 35 ½ in. 59.4 by 90.2 cm. Executed on 25 March 1970.

View 1 of Lot 432: Homme et femme devant le soleil

homme et femme devant le soleil

Joan Miró 1893 - 1983 Personnage et oiseau inscribed Miro, numbered No4 and stamped with the foundry mark Clementi Fondeur Paris bronze height: 61 ½ in. 156 cm. Conceived in 1970; this example cast circa 1973 as number 4 from an edition of 4 plus 1 nominative cast and 1 artist's proof.

personnage et oiseau

Sold to Benefit Dickinson College’s Center for the Futures of Native Peoples

Sold to Benefit Dickinson College’s Center for the Futures of Native Peoples Joan Miró 1893 - 1983 Le Père Ubu stamped with the foundry mark R. Haligon, Perigny-sur-Yerre (along the lower edge) painted resin height: 70 in. 178 cm. Conceived and cast in 1974; this work is unique.

le père ubu

Joan Miró 1893 - 1983 Femme et oiseau inscribed Miró, stamped with the foundry mark Clementi Fondeur and numbered 2/2 bronze height: 24 ⅝ in. 62.5 cm. Conceived and cast in 1972 in an edition of 2 plus 1 nominative cast.

femme et oiseau

Surrealism and Its Legacy

Provenant d'une Important Collection Particulière

Provenant d'une Important Collection Particulière Joan Miró 1893 - 1983 La Tige de la fleur rouge pousse vers la lune signé Miró (en bas à droite); signé Miró, daté 1952 et titré LA TIGE DE LA FLEUR ROUGE POUSSE VERS LA LUNE (au dos) huile sur toile 91,8 x 71,4 cm; 36⅛ x 28⅛ in. Exécuté en 1952.

View 1 of Lot 113: La Tige de la fleur rouge pousse vers la lune

la tige de la fleur rouge pousse vers la lune

Fraternity, a set of etchings by various <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/buy/fine-art/editions?locale=en" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">artists</a>, 1939, including <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=Joan+Mir%C3%B3&amp;pfilters.dateRange=upcoming" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Joan Miró</a> and <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=Wassily+Kandinsky&amp;pfilters.dateRange=past" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Wassily Kandinsky</a>.<ul><li>Sold as a set of 9 etchings, with accompanying portfolio.</li><li>Hand Signed Etchings on Montval Wove Paper.</li><li>Edition 97 of 101.</li><li>Presented in the original green paper bound portfolio sleeve and cover; the cover bears a further etching by Stanley William Hayter.</li></ul> Each of the works in the portfolio is hand signed in pencil by each artist. The portfolio is hand numbered in pencil “97” on the justification page. This portfolio was printed in the limited edition of 101 by Atelier 17 and Henri Hecht, there were a further 12 copies produced for the collaborators. The portfolio contains the poem by English poet Stephen Spender, titled Fall of a City. The poem was translated into French by Louis Aragon, who has signed the translation “Aragon” in pencil. The contributing artists are:1. John Buckland-Wright2. Stanley William Hayter3. Josef Hecht4. Dalla Husband5. Wassily Kandinsky6. Roderick Mead7. Joan Miró8. Dolf Reiser9. Luis Vargas This work was commissioned in support of the Spanish Republic and was published to mark the fall of Madrid on 29th March 1939.

Fraternity | Fraternité, 1939

Composition IV, from: Etchings for an Exhibition [Planche IV : Gravures Pour Une Exposition], by <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=joan+miro&amp;pfilters.dateRange=upcoming" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Joan Miró</a>, 1973.<ul><li>Joan Miró (Spanish 1893-1983).</li><li>Etching and aquatint in colors.</li><li>Hand-signed.</li><li>Part of an edition of 75.</li><li>This work is presented unframed.</li></ul> This original etching and aquatint in colors is monogrammed in pencil by the artist “M" at lower right corner. It was printed by Morsang, Paris and published by Pierre Matisse, New York in 1973 in a limited edition of 75 impressions. There were also a 15 hors commerce [Out of Trade] proofs aside the standard edition.&nbsp; This is the fourth composition (of four) etchings produced by the artist on the occasion of the 1973 exhibition “Miró, paintings, gouaches, sobreteixims, sculpture and etchings” held at Pierre Matisse, New York. The suite also included one lithograph. The work has been inscribed with the number 72/75 by another hand in the lower left corner.

Composition IV, from: Etchings for an Exhibition | Planche IV : Gravures Pour Une Exposition

Le Croc des Phynances I [The Fang of Finances I] by <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=Joan+Mir%C3%B3&amp;pfilters.dateRange=upcoming" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Joan Miró</a>, 1971.<ul><li>Joan Miró (Spanish, 1893-1983).</li><li>Lithograph in colors on Arches Wove paper.</li><li>Hand-signed and dedicated.</li><li>This work is presented unframed.</li></ul> This original lithograph in colors is hand signed in pencil by the artist "Miró" at the lower right margin. It is also dedicated in pencil “à René Le Moigne", at the lower left margin. This impression is an artist’s proof aside from the standard edition of 30. It was printed by Arte Adrien Maeght, Paris and was published by Maeght Éditeur, Paris in 1971.

The Fang of Finances I | Le Croc des Phynances I

The Hand [La Main], by <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=joan+miro&amp;pfilters.dateRange=upcoming" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Joan Miró</a>, 1953.<ul><li>Joan Miró (Spanish, 1893-1983).</li><li>Etching and aquatint in colors on BFK Wove paper.</li><li>Hand signed and numbered.</li><li>Part of an edition of 75.</li><li>Published and printed by Arte Adrien Maeght, Paris.</li><li>This work is presented unframed.</li></ul>

The Hand | La Main

Five prints from Journal d'un Graveur by <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=joan+miro&amp;pfilters.dateRange=upcoming" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Joan Miró</a>, 1975.<ul><li>Sold as a set of 5.</li><li>Joan Miró (Spanish, 1893-1983).</li><li>Drypoint etchings on Rives vellum.</li><li>Each signed and numbered in pencil.</li><li>Edition 6/75.</li><li>Published by Maeght, Paris.</li><li>Printed by Morsang, Paris.</li><li>Each is presented framed.</li></ul> Five etchings from the Journal D'un Graveur, a series which is made up of 3 volumes, each containing a suite of 15 dry-points, preceded by an engraving in color wash, etching and aquatint. All the plates, signed and numbered, are gathered together under a cover engraved with an etching. Each volume also contains a final etched engraving unsigned, unnumbered. 75 Copies were pulled on Rives vellum, numbered 1 to 75, and 10 copies not for sale, numbered 1 to X.

Five Prints from Journal d'un Graveur

Composition III, from: The Seers [Les Voyants], by <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=Joan+Mir%C3%B3&amp;pfilters.dateRange=upcoming" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Joan Miró</a>, 1970.<ul><li>Joan Miró (Spanish, 1893-1983).</li><li>Lithograph in colors on BFK Rives wove paper.</li><li>Hand signed and numbered.</li><li>Part of an edition of 75, this being 51.</li><li>Printed by Mourlot, Paris, 1970.</li><li>Published by Louis Broder, Paris, 1970.</li><li>This work is presented unframed.</li></ul>&nbsp;This lithograph in colors is hand signed in pencil by the artist "Miró" at the lower right margin.&nbsp;It is additionally hand numbered in pencil from the edition of 75, at the lower left margin.&nbsp;It was printed by Mourlot, Paris and was published by Louis Broder, Paris in 1970. This is the third composition of six from the portfolio Les Voyants [The Seers]. The paper bears the ‘L.B’ [Louis Broder] watermark in the lower right corner.

Composition III, from: The Seers | Les Voyants

Composition VII, from: Gaudí, by <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=joan+miro&amp;pfilters.dateRange=upcoming" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Joan Miró</a>, 1979.<ul><li>Joan Miró (Spanish, 1893-1983).</li><li>Etching with aquatint on Arches Wove paper.</li><li>Hand signed and numbered.</li><li>Part of an edition of 50.</li><li>Printed by Joan Barbarà, Barcelona.</li><li>Published by Maeght, Barcelona.</li><li>This work is presented unframed.</li></ul> After Miró had established his printing studio in his Son Boter studio in 1975, he was able to start his major project: a print series dedicated to the great Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí, a figure he greatly admired. Miró met Gaudi during his adolescence while he was attending drawing classes at the Cercle de Sant Lluc. Miró greatly admired this Catalan Modernist architect, considering Gaudí’s work among his sources of inspiration. Miró decided to prepare this series carefully in advance before proceeding. In order to "be in shape", as he described it, he produced together with the engraver Joan Barbarà a variety of works such as Enrajolats, La commedia dell’arte, Rupestres, Personatges i estels and La gran rodona. The Gaudí series comprises 21 prints in which Miró used all conceivable resources, ranging from traditional techniques to the most innovative methods, such as etching, sugar-lift aquatint, carborundum, embossing, and collage. Miró worked from a series of preliminary sketches and originals made with pencil, pastel, ink, gouache, and collage. The original designs for the Gaudí series were finished before Barbarà began his collaboration with Miró. All the matrices that were used for this series were copper plates, some plated with nickel. The creative process for this series took place at the Son Boter studio beginning in 1976; it was then printed in Barcelona in 1979, in an edition of 50. The result of this process is a gallery of images in which the sobriety of the black hues contrasts with the palette of blues, reds, yellows, and greens. All of these colors often configure a sort of multi-shaped, uneven grid whose changing geometry suggests the kaleidoscopic, irregular mosaic work used by Gaudí to envelop his architectural elements.

Composition VII, from: Gaudí, 1979 

Composition VI, from Gaudí by <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=joan+miro&amp;pfilters.dateRange=upcoming" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Joan Miró</a>, 1979.<ul><li>Joan Miró (Spanish, 1893-1983).</li><li>Etching with aquatint on Arches Wove paper.</li><li>Hand-signed and nunmbered.</li><li>Edition 28/50.</li><li>This work is presented unframed.</li></ul> This etching is hand signed in pencil by the artist "Miró" in the lower right margin. It is also hand numbered in pencil from the edition of 50, in the lower left margin. The work was part of Miró's important series Gaudí that included 21 different etchings. It was printed in a limited edition of 50 hand signed and numbered impressions. There were also 15 hors commerce [out of trade] impressions. It was printed by Joan Barbarà, Barcelona and published by Maeght, Barcelona in 1979. After Miró had established his printing studio in his Son Boter studio in 1975, he was able to start his major project: a print series dedicated to the great Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí, a figure he greatly admired. Miró met Gaudi during his adolescence while he was attending drawing classes at the Cercle de Sant Lluc. Miró greatly admired this Catalan Modernist architect, considering Gaudí’s work among his sources of inspiration. Miró decided to prepare this series carefully in advance before proceeding. In order to "be in shape", as he described it, he produced together with the engraver Joan Barbarà a variety of works such as Enrajolats, La commedia dell’arte, Rupestres, Personatges i estels and La gran rodona. The Gaudí series comprises 21 prints in which Miró used all conceivable resources, ranging from traditional techniques to the most innovative methods, such as etching, sugar-lift aquatint, carborundum, embossing, and collage. Miró worked from a series of preliminary sketches and originals made with pencil, pastel, ink, gouache, and collage. The original designs for the Gaudí series were finished before Barbarà began his collaboration with Miró. All the matrices that were used for this series were copper plates, some plated with nickel. The creative process for this series took place at the Son Boter studio beginning in 1976; it was then printed in Barcelona in 1979, in an edition of 50. The result of this process is a gallery of images in which the sobriety of the black hues contrasts with the palette of blues, reds, yellows, and greens. All of these colors often configure a sort of multi-shaped, uneven grid whose changing geometry suggests the kaleidoscopic, irregular mosaic work used by Gaudí to envelop his architectural elements. The Fundació Pilar i Joan Miró holds all the original designs that were used as a starting point for this series, as well as a large number of plates and color proofs.

Composition VI, from Gaudí

The Convict and his Companion [Le Bagnard et sa Compagne], by <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=Joan+Mir%C3%B3&amp;pfilters.dateRange=upcoming" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Joan Miró</a>, 1975.<ul><li>Joan Miró (Spanish, 1893-1983).</li><li>Etching and aquatint in colors on Arches wove paper.</li><li>Hand signed and numbered.</li><li>Part of an edition of 50, this being 35.</li><li>Printed by Arte Adrien Maeght, Paris.</li><li>Published by Maeght Éditeur, Paris.</li><li>This work is presented unframed.</li></ul> This original etching and aquatint is hand signed in white pencil by the artist "Miró" in the lower right image. It is also hand numbered in pencil from the edition of 50, at the lower left image. There were also a small number of hors commerce impressions. It was printed in a limited edition of 50 signed and numbered impressions by Arte Adrien Maeght, Paris, and it was published by Maeght Éditeur, Paris in the same year. The paper bears the Maeght watermark in the lower left and right sheet.

The Convict and His Companion | Le Bagnard et Sa Compagne

The Troglodytes I [Les troglodytes I], by <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=joan+miro&amp;pfilters.dateRange=upcoming" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Joan Miró</a>, 1978.<ul><li>Joan Miró (Spanish, 1893-1983).</li><li>Etching and aquatint in colors with carborundum on Arches Wove paper.</li><li>Hand signed and numbered.</li><li>Part of an edition of 50.</li><li>Printed by Morsang, Paris.</li><li>Published by Maeght Éditeur, Paris.</li><li>This work is presented unframed.</li></ul>

The Troglodytes I | Les Troglodytes I

The Return Journey III, from: Series for King Ubu, by <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=Joan+Mir%C3%B3&amp;pfilters.dateRange=upcoming" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Joan Miró</a>, 1966.<ul><li>Joan Miró (Spanish, 1893-1983).</li><li>Le Voyage de Retour III, from: Suites pour Ubu Roi.</li><li>Lithograph in colors on Arches Wove paper.</li><li>Hand signed and numbered.</li><li>This work is presented unframed.</li></ul> This lithograph in colors is hand signed in pencil by the artist "Miró" at the lower right corner. It is also hand numbered in pencil from the edition of 75, at the lower left corner. There were also 25 hors commerce [out of trade] impressions. The work was part of a portfolio entitled "Roi Ubu" [King Ubu] realised by the artist in 1966. It was printed by Atelier Mourlot, Paris and published by Tériade Éditeur, Paris. The paper bears the Arches watermark along the lower margin. Ubu Roi (Ubu the King) is a play by Alfred Jarry, premiered in 1896. It is a precursor of the Theatre of the Absurd and Surrealism. It is the first of three stylized burlesques in which Jarry satirizes power, greed, and their evil practices—in particular the propensity of the complacent bourgeois to abuse the authority engendered by success. It was followed by Ubu Cocu [Ubu Cuckolded] and Ubu Enchaîné [Ubu Enchained], neither of which was performed during Jarry's 34-year life. Père Ubu first appeared in 1888 in a collaboration between Alfred Jarry and a fellow student at the Rennes Lycée, but his first public appearance came in 1893 when Jarry published some of prose works in an avant-garde review, the Minutes de Sable Mémorial. His triumph, however, was on the stage when the director of the Theâtre de l'Oeuvre, Lugne-Poe staged a production of Ubu Roi. The audience received the play with screams, whistles, fist-shaking, the critics took up the cudgels and the play became infamous and its author an avant-garde hero. Joan Miró used Ubu Roi as a subject of his most famous series, made of 50 1940 lithographs known as "the Barcelona Series." These pictures could be Ubu Roi but they also satirize General Franco and his generals after he had won the Spanish Civil War. He revisited this subject many times in his oeuvre.

The Return Journey III, from: Series for King Ubu

Couple of Birds III | Couple d'Oiseaux III, by <a href="https://www.sothebys.com/en/search?query=Joan+Mir%C3%B3&amp;pfilters.dateRange=upcoming" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Joan Miró</a>, 1966.<ul><li>Joan Miro (Spanish 1893-1983).</li><li>Etching and Aquatint in colors on Mandeure Wove paper.</li><li>Hand-signed and numbered.</li><li>Part of an edition of 50.</li><li>This work is presented unframed.</li></ul> This original etching and aquatint is hand signed in pencil by the artist "Miró" at the lower right margin.&nbsp;It is also hand numbered in pencil from the edition of 50, at the lower left margin. There were also a small number of hors commerce impressions. &nbsp;It was printed by Arte Adrien Maeght, Paris, in 1966 and it was published by Maeght Éditeur, Paris in the same year.&nbsp;The paper bears the Canton de Mandeure watermark along the lower margin.

Couple of Birds III | Couple d'Oiseaux III

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