In May 2008 Annely Juda Fine Art opens a major exhibition of sculpture and drawings by Joan Miro – one of the most important and famous artists of the twentieth century. This is a rare and exceptional opportunity to see a collection of Miro’s works in a one-person exhibition of 14 bronze sculptures and 10 works on paper.
Miro was born in Barcelona in 1893. In 1920 he first visited Paris where he met and befriended Pablo Picasso. From that date onwards he made many trips to Paris where, in 1924, he joined the surrealist Movement. The movement’s founder André Breton stated “the tumultuous entrance of Miro in 1924 marks an important development of Surrealist Art”. In 1925 Miro exhibited in his first Surrealist group show alongside Max Ernst, De Chirico, Man Ray and Picasso.
Miro is known for his uniquely spontaneous paintings and drawings with flattened forms, figures and animals and blocks of primary colour. The drawings in this exhibition are important and typical examples of his work and span over 40 years from 1933 to 1976.
From the late 1930s, alongside his paintings, Miro had also been creating three- dimensional Surrealist objects. From 1944 he was sculpting in ceramic and in the mid-1960s he turned to bronze in which he worked intensively for many years. These works are witty and sexually suggestive with protrusions, bumps and handles – typical of Miro’s love of Dada frivolity and use of found objects. Whilst suggestive of the influences of Picasso or Jean Arp they are uniquely Miro – as spontaneous playful and distinctive as his paintings and drawings. Fourteen bronze sculptures are being shown dated from 1969 to 1981 (two years before his death).
This is Annely Juda Fine Art’s second one-man show of Joan Miro. It is made possible by close collaboration with the Joan Miro family.