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HOHMANNÂŽ
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IMPRESSUM Š Hohmann Fine Art, Inc., 1st Edition 2014/15 Layout & Design: Christian Hohmann, Lindsay Partusch Goldstein Text: Kimberly Nichols Photography: Josh Heinz Any reproduction or use of text or image material in part or in full is only allowed with the written consent of Hohmann Fine Art, Inc. Image source for portrait photography: Wikipedia, Public Domain Measurements have been rounded to the nearest inch. The condition of each item has been reflected in the price. For exact measurements and detailed condition reports, please contact the gallery. Images may vary in color and all items have been framed. High resolution images with and without frame are available on request. 2
JOAN MIRÓ
HOHMANN FINE ART ®
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FIRE IN THE SOUL
From his birth in 1893 to his death in 1983 at 90 years old, the Catalan born painter, ceramicist and sculptor Joan Miró i Ferrà exemplified the true definition of a prolific artist. An exhaustive commitment to his craft, unwavering evolution through many mediums and perpetual curiosity towards life all contributed to a body of work that remains one of the world’s most beloved and cherished examples of a modern master’s collection in both breadth and voice.
Miró’s attraction to culture started very early on and compelled him to move to Paris in 1920 where he was drawn to the community of poets and writers surrounding Montparnasse. It was there where his renowned style of organic shapes and flattened picture planes began to form. Although he was a fan of automatic drawing in a Surrealist bent, he rejected being pigeonholed into any one genre. He continued to pursue the freedom of experimentation following his particular fascinations through Expressionism and Color Field painting. He even proposed the idea of four-dimensional painting; a theoretical type of painting in which painting would transcend its two-dimensionality and even the threedimensionality of sculpture. From the 1930s onward Miró famously declared “an assassination of painting” as he broke free from the traditional bourgeois visual elements and safe, figurative modes in favor of redefining abstract art. Using a very minimal approach, he explored concepts of intense emotional depth through restrained compilations of shape, color, and line. Where the untrained eye may have questioned the simplicity in his compositions, the art lover found astonishment in the evocation of such monumental feelings within such subtle articulations. But it was not merely this radical and groundbreaking style that upended the world’s traditional preconception of art; it was also his attitude. After World War II when most artists were interested in breaking down the shackles of figurative art through negating movement, Miró concocted a refreshing visual language that was poetic, uplifting and positive. 4
Miró went on to accelerate his work in different media producing hundreds of ceramics. In his 70s he began to explore sculpture for this first time, creating an entirely new perspective to consider in an oeuvre that was already noted as prodigious. The sheer magnitude of Miró’s legacy within the annals of 20th century fine art are witnessed both historically in his position as a revolutionary innovator within his field and in the current art scene where he continues to influence a multitude of today’s contemporary artists. We are happy to present a special exhibition highlighting moments in Miró’s extensive career which include an array of precious aquatints, iconic lithographs, valuable original works on paper and one of the artist’s earliest etchings from 1933.
Works must be conceived with fire in the soul but executed with clinical coolness. Joan Mir贸
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Joan Miró born in Barcelona on the 20th of April.
1907
Studies at the Barcelona School of Commerce.
1912-1915
Studies at the Francese Gali art school, first oil paintings.
1913
Drawing classes at the Cercle Artistic de Sant Lluc.
1916
First contact with the art dealer Dalmau.
1917
Reads French poetry and avant-garde reviews. Meets Francis Picabia.
1918
First one-man show in the Dalmau Galleries in Barcelona. Joins the
Courbet Group.
1920
First trip to Paris. Visits Picasso. Summer in Montroig.
1921
Studies in Paris. His neighbor is André Masson. Meets Reverdy, Tzara,
Raynal and Max Jacob.
1925
Meets Breton, Éluard and Aragon. One-man show and a subsequent
exhibition with the Surrealist group at the Pierre Gallery in Paris.
1926
Collaborates with Max Ernst.
1929
October 2, marriage to Pilar Juncosa. They settle in Paris.
1930
Birth of his daughter, Maria Dolors in Barcelona.
First solo U.S. show at New York’s Valentine Gallery.
1933
First etchings for Georges Hugnet’s Enfances.
1937
Attends figure-drawing classes at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière
1940
At the German invasion, he leaves France and settles in Mallorca.
1941
First major retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
1942
Settles in Barcelona.
1944-1946
First ceramics in collaboration with Josep Llorens Artigas.
1946
First bronze sculptures.
1947
First trip to the United States, where he spends eight months painting
a mural for the Terrace Plaza Hotel in Cincinnati.
1948
Travels to Paris. Exhibits at the Maeght Gallery.
1956
Moves from Barcelona to Palma de Mallorca.
1959
Winner of the 1958 International Guggenheim Award for UNESCO murals.
1968
Honorary Doctorate awarded by Harvard University, Cambridge, MA.
1970
From the seventies on, his production is increasingly focused on
monumental art and public works.
1975
On June 10, opening in Barcelona of the Joan Miró Foundation/
Centre for the Study of Contemporary Art.
1979
Honorary Doctorate awarded by the University of Barcelona.
1983
Joan Miró dies on December 25 in Palma de Mallorca.
BIOGRAPHY
1893
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STUDY FOR L’OISEAU MIGRATEUR V Unique Original Watercolor, Ink and Crayon on Lithograph | 26” x 20” | 1962-1964 Certificate ADOM
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FEMME-OISEAU Pastel Chalk on Sand Paper | 13” x 8¾” | 1977 Certificate ADOM
Miró was known to be unorthodox in his style, technique and in the way he would integrate everyday objects into his art. We find objects in his sculptures that he picked up on walks at the beach and in his original paintings we find the use of unusual painting surfaces. “Femme-Oiseau” (transl. “Woman Bird”) is such an example. He must have found a piece of barely used sandpaper in his studio and decided to use it as a painting ground. He used pastel chalks, which worked beautifully with the sandpaper as the abrasion made the pigment that much thicker and richer. This is a precious and intimate original work on paper that was recognized by ADOM (Society to Protect the Work of Miró) as an original Joan Miró. Certificate available.
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Mir贸 often used surprising surfaces for his paintings, but what seemed coincidental was always on purpose. This bold drawing was the first concept of a large scale drawing he executed later that year.
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PERSONNAGE Black Chalk on Brown Packing Paper | 14” x 11” | 1977 Certificate ADOM
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In the late 1960s, Miró wanted to express his gratitude to Mme Hulda Zumsteg, the wife of the director of the Kronenhalle Museum in Zurich, Switzerland. He gave her one of the fresh-from-the-press etchings “Règne Végétale”. As a courtesy he added a drawing on the margins of the paper that would be beautiful and complete on its own. This combination of the original drawing with a fine print renders this work spectacular. This is not only rare, but it means that the provenance, not usually tracked for fine prints, is documented within the work itself.
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REGNE VEGETAL Original Drawing over Etching, Aquatint and Carborundum 18” x 13” on Paper 29¼” x 22¾” | Outside the Edition of 75 | 1968 | D 462
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Daphnis and Chloé The beautiful Greek folk tale of two noble foundlings that grow up among shepherds and then find each other and eternal love through a series of adventures, has inspired many artists including Marc Chagall, Miró’s contemporary. This etching from 1933 is the earliest work in the exhibition and a rare example of Miró’s Surrealist period. Only a few years later, tired of being pigeonholed as belonging to just one movement, Miró broke free of attachments to all artistic movements to work on what would become his signature style which would change art history.
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DAPHNIS AND CHLOE Drypoint Etching | 10½” x 12½” on Paper 17” x 20” | Edition of 100 | 1933 | D 9 15
This self portrait of Miró from 1938 is art historically probably the most relevant work in the exhibition. There are only a few self-portraits in Miró’s fine print oeuvre. This example is the only one from the early Surrealistic period. What makes this drypoint etching so special is that Miró worked on a similar canvas painting concurrently. Although the print was published a year later it is clear that the concept was incredibly important to him at the time. In both, the original painting as well as this etching, Miró used much of the visual vocabulary that would be present in his later and most known body of work. In 1950, long after he had established the unique style that changed art history and made him one of the most important artists of the 20th century, he replicated his own painting from 1937 only to paint over it with a figure from his current work. It was his way of saying that although he had completely changed and developed his style away from Surrealism, that his ideas and his style from the 1930s were still valid and important as a foundation for his new work.
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PORTRAIT DE MIRO Etching | 13” x 10¾” on Vellum 17½” x 12¼” | Edition of 50 | 1938 | D 31 17
NOUS AVONS Etching, Hand Embellished | 6” x 16” on Paper 13” x 20” | Edition of 50 | 1959 | D 253 18
NOUS AVONS Etching| 6” x 16” on Paper 13” x 20” | Edition of 50 (Hors Commerce) | 1959 | D 254 19
L’ASTRE DU LABYRINTHE Etching, Aquatint and Carborundum | 36½” x 23 on Paper 41” x 28¼” | Edition of 75 | 1967 | D 425 20
L’ASTRE DE MARECAGE Aquatint | 41” x 28½” on Paper | Edition of 75 | 1967 | D 426 21
PARTIE DE CAMPAGNE IV Etching and Aquatint | 23” x 36½” on Paper 29¼” x 41” | Edition of 75 | 1967 | D 433 22
PETITE FILLE DEVANT LA MER Aquatint | 23” x 36½” on Paper 28¾” x 41” | Edition of 75 | 1967 | D 435 23
LE JARDIN DE MOUSSE Aquatint and Carborundum | 13¾” x 18.5” on Paper 23¼” x 29¾” | Edition of 75 | 1968 | D 454 24
MIDI LE TREFLE BLANC Etching and Aquatint | 5¾” x 4¼” on Paper 9¾” x 7” Edition of 15 H.C. aside from Edition of 88 | 1968 | D 455
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VERS LA GAUCHE Etching, Aquatint, and Carborundum 24½” x 32½” on Paper 28½” x 41” | Edition of 75 | 1968 | D 461
LA CAPTIVE Etching, Aquatint, and Carborundum 29” x 22½” on Paper 37¼” x 28½” | Edition of 50 | 1969 | D 489
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ESCALADE VERS LA LUNE Etching and Aquatint | 40¾” x 29” | Edition of 75 | 1969 | D 496 28
LE VIEIL IRLANDAIS Etching, Aquatint and Carborundum | 41¼” x 27¾” | Edition of 75 | 1969 | D 521 29
LE VENT PARMI LES ROSEAUX Etching and Aquatint | 13” x 8¼“ on Paper 14¼” x 10¼” | Edition of 100 | 1971 | D 545 30
BETHSABÉE Etching and Aquatint | 26½” x 21” on Paper 40” x 25” | Edition of 50 | 1972 | D 556 31
Drypoint, Etching, Aquatint and Carborundum are all printing techniques of the engraving family. Joan Miró was known to combine these printing techniques in various, sometimes groundbreaking ways. These original fine prints, which are cataloged in their own work index by Dupin, are among the most coveted as they beautifully transferred the texture and luminosity of his original watercolors and gouaches. “El Àngel Crivellet” is an impressive large example that combines both etching and aquatint and displays a strong condensed and clearly defined composition, rarely found in the large aquatints.
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EL ÀNGEL CRIVELLET Aquatint | 41” x 29” | Edition of 50 | 1973 | D 571 33
LE CARROSSE D’OISEAUX Etching and Aquatint | 25” x 26½” | Edition of 50 | 1973 | D 573 34
ELS CASTELLERS Etching and Aquatint | 33” x 24” | Edition of 50 | 1974 | D 647 35
ARLEQUIN CREPUSCULAIRE Etching and Aquatint | 6¾” x 5½” on Paper 20” x 13¼” | Edition of 50 | 1975 | D 738 36
LE MARTEAU SANS MAITRE Etching and Aquatint | 11” x 9” on Paper 17¾” x 13½” | Edition of 50 | 1976 | D 962 37
Whenever Joan Miró asked his publisher and printer to reproduce an image that he had created previously as an original painting or work on paper, these fine prints are referred to as prints created “after” Miró. These prints are listed separately in the Maeght work index, named after the famous gallery that published much of Miró’s print oeuvre. These works have become very popular because they are very different from the rest of his print work and touch on motifs that Miró only executed in his original work.
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LE SOURIRE AUX AILES FLAMBOYANTES Lithograph | 13¾” x 18¼” | Edition of 400 | 1954 | Maeght 1705 39
L’OISEAU S’ENFUIT VERS LES PYRAMIDES Etching and Aquatint | 6” x 23” on Paper 11” x 25” | Edition of 300 | 1954 | Maeght 1707 40
LA ROSEE MATINALE AU CLAIR DE LUNE Aquatint and Etching | 15” x 19” on Paper 21” x 25” | Edition of 300 | 1958 | Maeght 1713 41
The lithographs are the largest part of Miró’s body of work and he was a master of the stone. Lithographs are printed from slabs of Bavarian lime stone, a very involved and complicated printing technique that requires skill in both the artist and the printer. Most of Miró’s lithographs were printed in the world famous French print shop of Fernand Mourlot who also created fine prints for Miró’s contemporaries Pablo Picasso, Marc Chagall and almost every relevant artist of that time.
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FEMME AU MIROIR Lithograph | 15½” x 22¼” | 1957 | M 174 From the unsigned edition “Derrière Le Miroir”
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NOCTURNE Lithograph | 15” x 54” | 1958 | M 136 From the unsigned edition “Derrière Le Miroir”
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ALTAMIRA Lithograph | 20” x 25½” | Edition of 75 | 1958 | M 186 47
ATMOSFERA MIRÓ Lithograph | 8¼” x 8¼” | Edition of 160 | 1959 | M 190 48
LA DANSE DU FEU Lithograph | 25¼” x 18¾” | Edition of 90 | 1963 | M 341 49
THE LIZARD WITH THE GOLDEN FEATHERS was the title of a book with Joan Miró’s own poems, which were very cryptic and surrealistic in content. In 1967 he illustrated this book. After the printing had been completed he was dissatisfied with the color and ordered the entire edition to be destroyed. The publisher Louis Broder kept a few exemplars for himself and this is how these rare items ended up on the market. Louis Broder passed away shortly after and it was never confirmed how much of the edition was saved, but it was very little. Four years later, in 1971, Miró illustrated the book again and this time he was satisfied, but art historians agree that the first series was artistically more relevant.
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LE LEZARD AUX PLUMES D’OR III Lithograph | 13” x 19” on Paper 17” x 21” | Edition of 80 | 1967 | M 447 51
LE LEZARD AUX PLUMES D’OR X Lithograph | 15” x 21” | Edition of 80| 1967 | M 454 52
LE LEZARD AUX PLUMES D’OR Lithograph | 25” x 20”| Edition of 150 | 1971 | M 832 53
SILENCIO Lithograph | 10” x 7½” on Paper 12” x 9” | Edition of 100 | 1967 | M 487 54
LITHOGRAPH FOR LOS ANGELES COUNTY MUSEUM OF ART Lithograph | 29¾” x 22” | Edition of 100 | 1969 | M 555 55
EXHIBITION AT THE PASADENA ART MUSEUM Lithograph | 22½” x 19½” on Paper 25” x 19¼” | Edition of 100 | 1969 | M 622 56
HOMENATGE A JOAN PRATS Lithograph | 21¼” x 29¼” on Paper 25½” x 33¼” | Edition of 75 | 1971 | M 705 57
HOMENATGE A JOAN PRATS Lithograph | 21¼” x 29¼” on Paper 25½” x 33¼” | Edition of 75 | 1971 | M 731 58
HOMENATGE A JOAN PRATS Lithograph | 29¾” x 22” | Edition of 150 before the poster text | 1971 | M 735 Image was also used for museum show posters in 1971
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CAHIER D’OMBRES Lithograph | 12” x 9¼” | Edition of 200 | 1971 | M 745
IL CIRCULO DU PIEDRA Lithograph | 22” x 18” | Edition of 125 | 1971 | M 746 61
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PLATE 19 FROM UBU AUX BALEARES Lithograph | 20” x 26” | Edition of 120 | 1971 | M 784 63
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MIRO LITHOGRAPH I - THE STAR Lithograph | 12” x 10” on Paper 17¾” x 14½” | Edition of 150 | 1972 | M 857
MIRO LITHOGRAPH I - THE SINGING Lithograph | 12” x 10” on Paper 17¾” x 14½” | Edition of 150 | 1972 | M 867 65
LA MELODIE ACIDE Lithograph | 8” x 6” on Paper 13” x 10” | Edition of 145 | 1980 | M 1225 66
MONTROIG IV Lithograph | 29” x 22” | Edition of 30 | 1974 | M 956 67
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MANDARIN DU NORD Lithograph | 29¼” x 22¼” on Paper 32” x 22¼” | Edition of 50 | 1976 | M 1095 69
In the early 1940s Miró executed a series of wonderful gouaches that stood out among his work, so much so that in the 1950s he decided to reproduce them as fine prints. At the time he was working with Daniel Jacomet, probably the most famous and most skilled of all pochoir makers, who also worked with Pablo Picasso, Paul Klee and Marc Chagall. In 1954, Maeght published a portfolio called “Constellations” that included a number of signed etchings, lithographs and 22 unsigned pochoirs that Jacomet had created for Miró. Widely misunderstood, the pochoirs were only mentioned in Cramer’s work index of the illustrated books, however today they rank among the most coveted of any of the fine prints “after” Miró, as they capture the beauty of the originals like no other print form. A Pochoir is referred to as a “stencil print”, which is misleading because it is in fact not a print at all. The print maker actually applies paint by hand to the paper through a prepared stencil that was created based on Miró’s drawings. Due to the incredible skill and labor required to execute this process the Pochoir art form has never been widely used and these works are rare. The edition was 350 unsigned.
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FEMME AU BORD DU LAC A LA SURFACE Pochoir | 17” x 14” | Edition of 350, signed in the plate | 1958 | Cramer 58 71
FEMME ET OISEAUX Pochoir | 14” x 17” | Edition of 350, signed in the plate | 1958 | Cramer 58 72
LE REVEIL AU PETIT JOUR Pochoir | 17” x 14” | Edition of 350, signed in the plate | 1958 | Cramer 58 73
L’ETOILE MATINALE Pochoir |14” x 17” | Edition of 350, signed in the plate | 1958 | Cramer 58 74
DANSEUSES ACROBATES Pochoir | 17” x 14” | Edition of 350, signed in the plate | 1958 | Cramer 58 75
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L’ECHELLE DE L’EVASION Pochoir | 14” x 17” | Edition of 350, signed in the plate | 1958 | Cramer 58 77
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YOUR INVITATION We are always looking forward to meeting potential collectors and our events are a fun and casual occasion to see the gallery and meet us. Most of our events are by invitation to our clients only, but if you are considering working with us, we would love to meet you and invite you to the gallery for a private tour and to one of our events. The same applies to your art collecting friends. We appreciate your referrals and recommendations!
APPOINTMENTS Appointments are not necessary to visit the gallery, but if you would like to see a specific item, speak with a senior consultant or with Mr. Hohmann, we recommend making an appointment so that we can prepare for you and take up as little of your time as possible. Appointments are much appreciated for any kind of solicitation or non-sales related questions. We hope you understand and respect that our time is reserved for clients, patrons and visitors of the exhibitions.
CONNECT Please visit our web site for more information, updated exhibition dates, complete list of artist and available inventory. Connect with us in person, by phone, e-mail or on any of the many social platforms. We look forward to hearing from you.
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