Joan Miró (Spanish 1893-1983)

Joan Miró (Spanish 1893-1983)

Internationally renown Catalan artist, Joan Miró was a painter, sculptor, ceramist and printmaker. He studied at La Lonja School of Fine Arts in Barcelona. In 1920 he visited Paris where he met Pablo Picasso, participated in Dada activities and was introduced to the ideas and work of the French Surrealists. While his work cannot be characterized as complying with a single artistic movement or style, he was most closely associated with the Surrealists and influenced by Cubism and Fauvism. His work is recognizable for its unique use of color, biomorphic experimentation, and geometric abstractions. His first major museum retrospective took place in 1941 at the Museum of Modern Art, New York. His work has been included in numerous solo exhibitions and large retrospectives in most major cities in the United States and Europe. Multiple retrospectives were produced to honor Miro at the end of his life in major museums in New York, London and Paris. Again in 1993, Miro’s oeuvre was celebrated by multiple exhibitions in Barcelona, New York, Madrid and Paris. There are two museums dedicated to his work in Spain, the Fundació Joan Miró in Barcelona and the Fundacio Pilar i Joan Miró in Palma de Mallorca. His many accolades include the 1958 Guggenheim International Award, and the Gold Medal of Fine Arts from King Juan Carolos of Spain. Miro’s work has influenced numerous generations of subsequent artists including the Abstract Expressionists (Motherwell, Calder, Gorky, Rothko) and Color Field Painters (Frankenthaler, Olitski and Louis).

photo: Portrait of Joan Miro, 1935 Carl Van Vechten