Joan Miro (Spanish, 1893-1983) was a seminal figure in 20th-century avant-garde painting. The Spanish artist’s innovative use of line, organic shapes, and color represents a major contribution to Surrealism. Representative of his ability to conjure evocative space - Miro’s famed triptych Blue I,II,II (1961), portrays a floating world using only blue, orange, and black. “Little by little, I've reached the stage of using only a small number of forms and colors,” the artist reflected. “It's not the first time that painting has been done with a very narrow range of colors. The frescoes of the tenth century are painted like this.” Born on April 20, 1893 in Barcelona, Spain, the artist first studied commerce before defying his parents and enrolling at the art academy in his hometown. In 1919, Miro moved to Paris where he fell into the Surrealist milieu, befriending André Breton, Max Ernst, Jean Arp, and André Masson. Miro’s work profoundly influenced several American painters, including Arshile Gorky and Mark Rothko. The artist died at age 90 on December 25, 1983 in Palma de Mallorca, Spain. Today, his works are held in the collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, The Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Tate Gallery in London, and the Fundacio Joan Miro in Barcelona, a museum dedicated to the artist and his legacy.

All lots that do not carry established documented provenance nor any past record of auction history record are described in the catalog as attributed .

All authorship of items in this catalog are described according to the following terms:

Signed [Artist Name] : In cases in which the signature is legible in the lot, this work is described as-is with no attributions given.

By [Artist Name] : The work is by the artist.

Attributed to [Artist Name] : The work may be ascribed to the artist on the basis of style, but there may be some question as to actual authorship.

In the manner of [Artist Name] : The work was executed by an unknown hand, but was designed deliberately to emulate the style of the artist.

After [Artist Name] : The work was executed by an unknown hand, but is a deliberate copy of a known work by the artist.

Circle of [Artist Name] : A work of the period of the artist showing his influence, closely associated with the artist but not necessarily his pupil.

Follower of [Artist Name]: A work by a pupil or a follower of the artist (not necessarily a pupil).

American, 19th century : This work was executed by an unknown hand, and can only be identified by origin (i.e., region, period).