Joan Miró

JOAN MIRÓ (Barcelona, 1893 – Palma de Mallorca, 1983).
“Miró à l'encre,” 1972.
Color etching and aquatint on Arches paper.
Signed and numbered in pencil 16/70.
Printed by Morsang, Paris.
Publisher: XXe Siècle, Paris.
Attached to the reverse is a handwritten certificate of authenticity signed by Rosa Maria Malet, director of the Fundació Joan Miró in Barcelona from 1980 to 2017, dated December 20, 2003.
Bibliography: Jacques Dupin, *Miró graveur*, vol. II, 1961–1973, Daniel Lelong Éditeur, Paris, 1989, p. 204, no. 564 (reproduced).
Measurements: 66 x 50.2 cm (paper); 92 x 76 cm (frame).

Created in 1972, this work dates from the height of Joan Miró’s artistic maturity and was conceived to accompany the deluxe edition of the book *Miró à l’encre*, dedicated to the artist’s oeuvre and published by XXe Siècle in Paris. The print, produced in a limited edition of 70 signed and numbered copies, is an expressive demonstration of his extraordinary mastery of printmaking techniques. The composition features a repertoire of biomorphic symbols, calligraphic strokes, and organic-looking forms, arranged around a large eye motif. The black lines, with their spontaneous and dynamic flow, contrast with delicate accents of red, blue, and yellow, while the aquatint surfaces introduce subtle variations in texture. The balance between the blank space of the paper and the freedom of gesture reveals the refinement Miró achieved during this period, when his artistic language acquired a particularly intense capacity for synthesis.

Joan Miró was one of the key figures of the 20th-century avant-garde. Associated with Surrealism since his time in Paris during the 1920s, he developed a personal artistic language based on imaginative freedom, the sign, and color. In 1956, he settled in Mallorca, where he immersed himself in an intense creative output that spanned painting, sculpture, ceramics, and printmaking. In 1954, he received the Grand Prize for Printmaking at the Venice Biennale, and in 1958, the Guggenheim Award. His work is part of prestigious collections such as the MoMA in New York, the Centre Pompidou in Paris, and the Fundació Joan Miró in Barcelona.