Joan Miró (1893 - 1983)

Biographical Sketch

Joan Miró was born on April 10, 1893 in Montroig, near Barcelona and died on Dec. 25, 1983 at his country home 'Son Abrines' not far from Palma de Mallorca. He studied at the Business School, then the Art Academy of Barcelona, and at the Gali Academy (1912-15) and then at the Free Drawing Academy of Sant Lluch. In addition to his preoccupation with classical Modern art and Catalan Romanesque painting and popular art, he was also increasingly fascinated with the earliest pictorial traces left by humankind, cave paintings. After some attempts at Cubism and a meticulous presentation of volume, he arrived at his direct language, which he developed throughout the rest of his life. Acquaintance with Picabia, Picasso, Dada art and poetry, had contact with Max Jacob and Tristan Tzara, but also with the artists and poets of Catalan culture. Miró moved his atelier to Paris in 1921. In 1923-24 came the breakthrough to his own symbolic-abstract language. Made the acquaintance of Arp and Masson. Becomes a member of the Surrealist movement. Already in 1929, he creates his first plastic works, followed in the course of the years by ceramics, bronze sculptures, objects and assemblages as works of parallel importance to his paintings and graphics. Miró's work today provides a first class forum for artistic exchange at the Miró Foundation established in 1971 in Barcelona, whose museum was inaugurated in 1976. Miró can be considered one of the most important artists of his time. His graphic works occupied a central place in his oeuvre. The poetic vision, dramatism and cheerfulness of his paintings go hand in hand with his wide, open pictorial spaces. Beginning in the 30's, he was honored with representative exhibits in Europe as well as USA (first large retrospective in the Museum of Modern Art in New York, 1939). Switzerland also showed an early interest in Miró, with representative exhibits (Kunsthaus Zürich, 1933). His works hang in collections the world over. His graphic work has been greatly dispersed and has made his abstract work comprehensible, beloved and popular to an unusual degree. ek

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Catalogue of works in VI Volumes:

Joan Miró. Der Lithograph (The Lithographer): 1953-1981. Edited by Patrick Cramer, Ed. Weber, Geneva, in german. Translated edition: Edition Maeght, 1992;

Catalogue of works in III Volumes: Miró. Radierungen (Gravuren, Holzschnitt und Holzstiche)/Prints (Engravings, Woodcuts and Wood Engravings): 1928-1975. Edited by Jacques Dupin, Ed. Weber, Geneva, Daniel Lelong 1991;

Further references:

Joan Miró. Skulptur Graphik Malerei. Catalogue of the Liechtenstein State Art Collection, 1997. Skira Editore (with reproductions of the Lapidari and Rupestres published by Grafos)

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Note:

The references given are not meant as a list of the best works available on the subject, but simply reflect the author's sources.

Registers and catalogues of works are included when known and correspond to the information given in the index.