Joan Miró

Galerie Beyeler, Basel
Acquired from the above by the present owner

Sète, Musée Paul Valery, MIRÓ: vers l'infiniment libre vers l'infiniment grand, 2014, no. 34, illustrated in the catalogue

Joan Miró, Les Essences de la terre, Barcelona, 1968, illustration of the lithograph n.p.

This work is in very good condition. Executed on ivory wove paper. The sheet is affixed to the mat at all four corners and at the center of the upper, right and left edges, and there is some minor staining from the adhesive at each corner. The colors are bright and fresh. There is some very light light-staining to the sheet throughout, otherwise fine.
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.

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Miró adopted the hand motif as a vehicle to explore celestial bodies. Rhythmically automatic and violently gestural, Composition aux mains utilizes the artist’s own body as a mode of conveying emotion though automatic abstraction. Theatrically gestural and marvelously whimsical, the present work display’s Miró’s signature joie de vivre. By utilizing negative space in conjunction with bright colors, the artist creates a sensation of monumentality and universality within the composition.