I finally managed to make it to the Mirò exhibition at the Grand Palais in Paris, just before it closed. Mirò was far from being my favorite artist, but these retrospectives always contain a number of treasures, and I was not to be disappointed. Although there are always too many people in blockbuster shows, they also feature paintings from private collections or faraway museums, which you would never get the chance to see otherwise.
Joan Miró i Ferrà was a Spanish painter, sculptor, and ceramicist. He was born in 1893 in Barcelona, the son of a silversmith and watchmaker.
He began drawing classes when he was 7, and at 20 he moved to Paris and joined the art community in Montparnasse. Below is a surprisingly monochrome but strangely alluring painting.
Mirò is considered a pioneer of surrealism. He tried to portray the subconscious mind, to recreate the child-like and also subvert what he saw as the art of a bourgeois society. He loved color and used it in unexpected combinations.
During the German occupation Mirò fled to Spain, and between 1940-1941 he created the 23 gouache series Constellations, on of which you can see below. They are small, delicate compositions, and gain nothing through my phone photos.
Mirò was always testing out new territory, and experimented with all available mediums, trying his hand at collage, sculpture, and even tapestry. He kept working until late in life, creating amazing large-scale works in his 80s—including a tapestry for the World Trade Center, which was lost in the September 11 attack.
Below is a detail from one of his sculptures, in which one can see his irreverent and playful spirit.
I came away with a new-found appreciation of his work, being especially drawn to his joie de vivre and explosion of color.
Letters from Athens 
WOW Wonderful art. XOXO F>
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Whatever anyone thinks of Miro, we cannot deny his work makes us think, debate, and discuss.
In that respect, it is exactly what Art should be. 🙂
Best wishes, Pete.
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Yes. And I loved the fact he kept going, kept exploring and pushing his own boundaries.
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I recall a Miro exhibition in Barcelona when i was stunned by the sculptures which I’d not anticipated. Not all his stuff works for me but as Pete says above it makes you think
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It does, and its joyful!
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I only knew of ones like the second one, and I am not attracted to them. However, I don’t think I have seen a Miro ‘in the flesh’ and I don’t understand him, so there is a lot there that I am missing. But I loved the simple line paintings you showed us ~ delicate and expressive. Thank you for broadening my mind!
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Me too. I found them boring. But I was very impressed by the late works especially. Impossible to photograph, but there was a series of three huge blue paintings, and three like the last one on my post. Seen together, they were very powerful. Also the sculptures were fun.
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Thank you Marina. I have never been that keen on Miro but your text and choice of images Hagerstown me that I should look at again. I think I was out off by his association with Francos state. His use of colour is very engaging.
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Sorry my tablet turns my text into gibberish. It should say…have shown me not Hagestow n!
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I thought so!
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I only think it’s worth it if you should happen upon an exhibition to see the work live. He was very avant-garde at the time but there has been overuse of the images by now. But the large works he did when he was old I found very impressive seen together as a series.
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Gorgeous! I recall seeing a lot if his work (the sculptures in particular) during a visit to Barcelona many years ago. The Constellation pieces are stunning, aren’t they? Very moving given the political context at that time.
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Yes, and I always love work on paper.
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Very well described
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Marina, this is brilliantly enlightening post on Miro and how amazing to see this exhibition. Even if not a fan of his work, it is incredibly striking and you convey the sense of his work and history of life very well.
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Thanks Annika. Even with very good photography, there is no comparison to seeing art live.
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I love this!
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Thanks, Jennie! 🌹
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You’re welcome!
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