Joan Miró

JOAN MIRÓ I FERRÀ (Barcelona, 1893 – Palma de Mallorca, 1983).
“Untitled,” c. 1960.
Crayons, collage of Scotch tape and photographic film packaging paper on paper.
Accompanied by a certificate of authenticity issued by ADOM.
Signed in the lower right corner. Inscribed: “Pour Andrée Pérez y Jorbe.”
Measurements: 21 x 26.5 cm; 41 x 50 cm (frame).

In this work on paper, Joan Miró transforms humble materials foreign to traditional drawing—crayons, adhesive tape, and photographic film packaging paper—into a composition of great visual and poetic intensity. The piece reveals the experimental freedom of the mature Miró, capable of pushing the boundaries of the medium by incorporating everyday elements that enliven the surface with glints, transparencies, and shifting reflections.
The strips of adhesive tape structure the composition through highly dynamic diagonals, while the silvery, iridescent fragments introduce a luminous dimension that transforms the perception of the work depending on the angle of the light. Set against them, the red, blue, and black strokes convey the immediacy of Miró’s gestural style: essential, open, and calligraphic marks that condense his visual universe with extraordinary economy of means.
Far from being a simple drawing, this piece should be understood as an experimental work in which Miró combines graphic spontaneity, collage, and material to transform the paper into an active, object-like space.

The handwritten dedication adds particularly significant value. The work is dedicated to Andrée Pérez y Jorba, a collector and patron connected to the Parisian art scene and the wife of Jacques Pérez y Jorba, both of whom were close to Miró’s circle. This connection places the piece within a context of private and emotional circulation, linked to a network of cultured collecting and close ties to the avant-garde movements. Beyond its artistic merit, the dedication reinforces the work’s uniqueness and makes it an intimate testament to the artist’s experimental output.

Joan Miró is one of the leading figures in 20th-century art and a key name in the international avant-garde. Associated with Surrealism since his time in Paris, he developed his own artistic language based on the sign, imaginative freedom, and the constant renewal of pictorial media. He achieved international recognition early on: the Museum of Modern Art in New York acquired works by him as early as 1928 and dedicated a major retrospective to him in 1941, solidifying his reputation outside of Europe. Today, his work is represented in leading institutions such as MoMA, the Reina Sofía Museum, the Guggenheim, the Tate, and the Fundació Joan Miró, and he maintains a prominent presence in the international modern art market.