Joan Miró

Sala Gaspar, Barcelona (acquired directly from the artist)
Private Collection, thence by descent (sale: Sotheby's, London, 23rd June 2010, lot 301)
Purchased at the above sale by the present owner

Executed on cream wove paper, not laid down, attached to a board at all four corners and at intervals along the edges, floating in the mount. All four edges are deckled. There is a flattened fold, intrinsic to the work and the artist's process, running vertically down the centre of the composition. Apart from two tiny flattened creases to the upper left and lower right corners and some minor time staining, mainly to the left and upper edges, this work is in overall very good condition. Colours: Overall fairly accurate in the printed 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."

The present work, with its exuberant black brushstrokes, bold lines and striking colours, is a wonderful example of the joyful, childlike abstraction Miró aspired to during the 1960s. Abandoning a more realistic and figurative approach, Miró developed a highly personalized vocabulary of signs, relishing whimsical and ambiguous shapes that take form in shifting and delightful ways. As Sidra Stich suggested, 'the art of Joan Miró heralds a deep grasp of the marvellous. Beyond childlike innocence, romantic fantasy and poetic reverie, the marvellous for Miró connotes a cosmic perspective and focus on the dynamics of creation' (Sidra Stich, Joan Miró: the Development of a Sign Language (exhibition catalogue), Washington University, St. Louis, 1980, p. 8).

These themes were deeply explored in Miró's works on paper. During the 1960s and 1970s, Miró experimented with painting on a wide variety of supports, including canvas fragments, sack cloth, wooden boards and masonite that were scored, burned and broken, newsprint, and even touristic paintings from local antique shops. During World War II, the artist had painted on what little canvas he could gather and turned his attention primarily to creating works on paper.  The present work, executed in 1961, harks back to his era of experimentation, but builds on his previous work by incorporating a more playful experience for the viewer.  Jacques Dupin noted that 'Miró emphasized the painting's structure and pared its gesture to the bone. He emphasized contrast, and revealed the armature and the framework... [these works] seem to live outside time, and outside the cycles and pendulum effects we are accustomed to finding in his work. Their existence is abrupt and detached, like death-stones, swirls of sand in a desert, or cliffs jutting into the sea' (Jacques Dupin, Miró, Barcelona, 1993, pp. 351-52).