Joan Miró

Aimé Maeght, Paris (acquired by 1964)
Pierre Matisse Gallery, New York (acquired by 1974)
Acquavella Modern Art, New York
Sale: Sotheby's, New York, May 10, 2000, lot 46
Private Collection, United States (acquired at the above sale)
Acquired from the above by the present owner in 2005

Paris, Galerie Maeght, Miró-Artigas, 1963, no. 11, illustrated in the catalogue
New York, Pierre Matisse Gallery, Miró-Artigas Ceramics, 1963, no. 10, illustrated in the catalogue
London, Tate Gallery & Zurich, Kunsthaus, Joan Miró, 1964, no. 231
Saint-Paul, Fondation Maeght, Sculptures de Miró, céramiques de Miró et Llorens Artigas, 1973, no. 238
New York, Pierre Matisse Gallery, Miró-Artigas: Terres de Grand Feu, 1985, no. 30, illustrated in color in the catalogue
Zurich, Kunsthaus & Dusseldorf, Städtische Kunsthalle, Joan Miró, 1986-87, no. 154, illustrated in color in the catalogue
New York, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, Joan Miró: A Retrospective, 1987, no. 134, illustrated in color in the catalogue
New York, Museum of Modern Art, Joan Miró, 1993-94, n.n., illustrated in color in the catalogue

Manuel Gasser, Miró-Artigas, Zurich, 1963, no. 268, illustrated in color p. 44
Juan Perucho, Joan Miró y Cataluña, Barcelona, 1970, no. 143, illustrated in color p. 193
Jose Pierre & Jose Corredor-Matheos, Céramique de Miró et Artigas, Paris, 1974, no. 318, illustrated p. 164
Rosa Maria Malet, Joan Miró, Bacelona, 1983, no. 117, illustrated pl. 117
Francesc Miralles, Llorens Artigas, Barcelona, 1992, no. 880, p. 328
Joan Punyet Miró & Joan Gardy Artigas, Joan Miró, Josep Llorens Artigas, Ceramics, Catalogue raisonné 1941-1981, Paris, 2007, no. 331, illustrated in color p. 276

This work is in very good condition. The work is comprised of three elements: wooden base, welded iron figure and a ceramic figure. There are remnants of chalk handwriting on back of iron figures. The uneven surface of iron and ceramic figures is inherent to their respective media. There are no visible repairs. There appear to be a few tiny losses to rough edges of ceramic figure. The wooden base appears to be a found object an is naturally irregular.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Homme et femme is the product of Miró’s fruitful collaboration with the ceramicist Joseph Llorens Artigas. It is one of two-hundred ceramics Miró and Artigas produced in Galliffa, north of Barcelona. There, Miró fell in love with the rocky landscape: “Our work sprang directly from the landscape. It became part of it, so that when we put some ceramics out of doors they immediately became one with nature” (quoted in Rosamond Bernier, Miró/Artigas, Terres de Grand Deu, New York, 1985, n.p.).

This profound relationship with nature is reflected in the present work whose ceramic element exhibits the rough, porous quality of the local stone. One of many such whimsical works, Homme et femme, part sculpture, part found object, signaled a new direction for Miró’s painted personages, one that he would continue to explore successfully throughout the later part of his career. While the female form is represented throughout the artist’s oeuvre, the male form is less frequently depicted. The pairing of this primeval couple is an especially powerful expression of the relationship between the sexes.