Joan Miró

Galerie Maeght, Paris
Galerie Beyeler, Basel
Sale: Sotheby's, New York, 22nd October 1975, lot 195
Private Collection
Acquired from the above by the present owner in 2005

Basel, Galerie Beyeler, Miró, Calder, 1973

Margit Rowell, Peintre = Poesie, Paris, 1976, illustrated p. 126

Executed on black wove paper, not laid down, loose in the mount. There are artist's pinholes to all four corners and to the centre of all four edges, two with associated losses at the centre of the upper edge and to the upper right corner. There are two small strips of tape to the reverse of the top two corners. There is a 2cm. tear to the lower left edge with two smaller tears above it, and a 2cm. tear to the center of the right edge with two tiny tears below. There is a 1cm. line of paper loss to the upper right edge. Apart from slight studio dirt, this work is in good condition. Colours: Overall fairly accurate in the cataogue illustration.
"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."

The present work is a scintillating example of the bold artistic methods Miró used in the mid-1960s. Following his reclusive spell in 1961 when painting Blue I, II and III, Miró began a less intricate, more spontaneous period. Personnage et oiseux dans la nuit examines the importance of the medium and the paper surface in particular: its black is a vital element to the current image and together with the collage in the centre, they form the artistic axis around which the composition grows. Following his recent visit to the United States, Miró gained an insight into the progressive techniques of the Abstract Expressionists. Uninhibited creators such as Pollock and Twombly were engaged in a process where the method of painting was as important as the whole - a work of art became a documentation of the process as well as an end in itself.

Although partly inspired by the novelty of Abstract Expressionism the present work also harks back to the central themes of Miró's earlier, surrealist works. The collage relates closely to the papier collé influences of Dada and the early works on paper of Max Ernst. Such a method, even in the 60s, is very rare for Miró and makes this piece a particular gem. Here is an artist approaching his mature years who is taking the best elements of his early career and mixing them with the methods of the great Americans of the 1950s.