Miró, Joan

A Miró archive from the Estate of Thomas and Diane Bouchard comprising approximately 40 autographed letters, postcards, typescript letters in French, signed ("Miró", "Joan", "J. Miró"), Christmas cards signed; autograph letters signed by Walter Gropius, Joan Prats, Pierre Matisse, Edgar Varèse, Maeght, Artega and others, all about Miró and miscellaneous gallery invitations, photographs, copies of Bouchard's letters to Miró, etc...
[together with:]
- Prevert, Jacques - Georges Ribemmont-Dessaignes. Joan Miró. Paris, Maeght editeur, 1956. 4to (9 x 7 3/4 in; 230 x 200 mm), 8 original colour lithographs, including the cover, reproductions in black and white and colour and text in French, inscribed "à Thomas et Diane Bouchard, en toute amitié, Miró" with an original drawing on the half title.
- an original lithographe signed and used as a Christmas card.
- Derriere le miroir. Paris, Maeght, 1953. Tiré à part of the number 57-58-59, inscribed by the artist: "à Thomas et Diane Bouchard, avec toute mon amitié. Miró".

The Estate of Diane Bouchard.

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Exceptional archive about the film directed by Thomas and Diane Bouchard "Around and About Joan Miró" and the artist's friendship with the Bouchards.

From the beginning, Miró was very excited by the idea of creating a film about him and his art. After the first meeting and when the documentary is still in progress, the artist sends severals letters to give Bouchard ideas and imperatives; importance fo some of his early paintings, who to contact ... For example he insists, in 3 letters, that Bouchard contact Ernest Hemingway who owns his canvas The Farm, even if he knows the author is hard to reach: "C'est toute fois indispensable que tu parviennes à le localiser et à filmer "La Ferme" qui est une piece capitale dans mon oeuvre". And later: "Il faut absolument que cette toile soit filmée autrement le film serait incomplet". Bouchard finally saw Hemingway and The Farm appears in the film with Hemingway (minute 37). Miró also explains the important part of his artistic career which can't be avoided which means that it has to be a full-length feature film: "Le metrage que tu as laissé à Maeght est pus qu'insuffisant et que pour les etapes Paris et Varengeville, très importantes dans ma vie, il faut aussi un long metrage".

The movie was underway and Miró gave Bouchard the contacts for all his friends he must involve in the project: his Catalan friends Pratt, Sert, Gomis and Artigas with whom he's working on ceramics, his friends in Paris such as Clayeux, Viot or Michel Leiris that Miró wants to speak the commentary; the art dealers Maeght, Pierre Matisse and Albert Skira with whom he is preparing a book [A Toute Epreuve] which is going to make Maeght crazy/angry. 

Miró is so enthusiastic that everytime he does something, he wants Bouchard to make another film about it: the ceramics with Artigas; setting up his workshop in his new house in Palma, with Sert. ... Once the film is done, Miro regulary sends news of his exhibitions and events to Bouchard so he can use them to promote the film and the exhibition: "Il faudrait que sa présentation soit préparée [...] pour lui donner un air d'évènement [...]. le faire passer en même temps qu'on passe quelque chose de moi: monn grand mural à l'Unesco en automne prochain; [...] une exposition complète de mon oeuvre gravée dans les musées des six plus importantes villes d'Allemagne; [...]une rétrospective la plus complète possible de mon oeuvre à la Tate Gallery". 

Miró, his wife and daughter would stay in long-term contact with Thomas, and his daughter Diane and Bouchard will make two other short films with the artist.