Joan Miró

JOAN MIRÓ I FERRÀ (Barcelona, 1893 – Palma de Mallorca, 1983).
“Cat and Mouse,” 1970.
Colored lithograph on paper.
Signed on the plate.
Published by Sala Gaspar, Barcelona.
Measurements: 83.5 x 59.7 cm.

“Gat i mà” brings together some of the most recognizable elements of Joan Miró’s artistic language: the transformation of the everyday into a poetic symbol, the prominence of black, and the intensity of pure colors. The cat sheds its naturalistic appearance to become a fantastical presence, constructed through curved forms and broad patches of color that interact with the imprint of a hand.

Joan Miró trained in Barcelona and held his first solo exhibition in 1918 at the Dalmau Galleries. In 1920, he moved to Paris and met Picasso, Raynal, Max Jacob, Tzara, and the Dadaists. There, under the influence of Surrealist poets and painters, his style began to mature; he sought to translate Surrealist poetry into visual art, drawing on memory, fantasy, and the irrational. His third exhibition in Paris, in 1928, marked his first major success: the Museum of Modern Art in New York acquired two of his works. He returned to Spain in 1941, and that same year the museum dedicated a retrospective to him, which sealed his definitive international recognition. Throughout his life, he received numerous awards, including the Grand Prizes at the Venice Biennale and from the Guggenheim Foundation, the Carnegie Prize for Painting, the Gold Medals from the Government of Catalonia and the Fine Arts Academy, and he was awarded honorary doctorates by Harvard University and the University of Barcelona. Today, his works can be seen in the world’s most prominent museums, such as MoMA, the Guggenheim, and the Reina Sofía.