Painter, Sculptor, Ceramist, and an Inspiration Called Joan Miro (1893-1983)

Spanish painter, sculptor, and ceramist, Joan Miró i Ferrà or Joan Miro i Ferra or simply Joan Miro was born on April 20, 1893 in Barcelona, Spain. He started sketching at the tender age of seven and by the age of 14, he was attending classes at the La Escuela de la Lonja School of Fine Arts in Barcelona, along with his business studies. He enrolled himself in the art academy, Gali’s Escola d’Art in 1912 and studied there until 1915. Joan’s early works reflect the shades of Fauve and Cubist movements, which were famous in Spain during the 19th century.

In 1920, Miro made the first of his many trips to Paris where he met Pablo Picasso and other Surrealist poets and writers of the likes of Max Jacob, Pierre Reverdy, and Tristan Tzara. In spite of being frequently identified with the Surrealist movement, the artist never accepted the movement’s creed. In 1921, he settled down in Paris and exhibited his first solo exhibition at Galerie la Lincorne in the same year. His works also formed a part of another exhibition, Salon d’Automne in 1923. Miro joined the Surrealist Movement under Andre Masson and Max Ernst, in the year 1924. A year later, he held his second solo exhibition and participated in the first Surrealist exhibition at Galerie Pierre in Paris. He, nevertheless, chose to remain a passive member of the movement, and pursued different styles of paintings such as automatic drawing, Expressionism, and ‘Color Field’ painting.

By 1930, Miro had advanced to a distinct style of painting, characterized by the liberal usage of bright colors and simplified forms that made him an internationally renowned artist. His work was tilted more towards Surrealism and Dada, which is reflected the best in his one of his most famous paintings, “Harlequin’s Carnival.” He had shifted back to Spain after his marriage with Pilar Juncosa in 1929, but had to move back to Paris in 1936 after the Spanish Civil War broke out. However, in the year 1940, Joan Miro moved back to Spain and tried his hands at sculptures, ceramics, and murals. During 1948-49, the artist kept shuttling between Spain and Paris and rolled out several lithographic works with the help of his printer friend, Fernand Mourlot. His shows held at The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York in 1951 and 1959, were amongst the best of the many one-man shows he held during his lifetime. “The Wall of the Moon” and “The Wall of the Sun” are two ceramic murals Joan made for the UNESCO building in Paris in 1957-59. Joan’s sole glass mosaic mural, the “Personnage Oiseaux (1972-78)” in the United States is the largest 2-D project he undertook. One of the most valuable pieces, Miro’s Tapestry work of 1974 at the World Trade Center, New York, was destroyed with the Twin Towers.

In 1954, Joan Miro won a prize for printmaking in Venice Biennale. He also won the Guggenheim International Award in 1958 and received the Gold Medal for Fine Arts from King Juan Carlos of Spain in 1980. The artist earned his doctorate ‘honoris causa’ from the University of Barcelona in the year 1979. In 1976, his museum, the Fundació Joan Miró, Centre d’Estudis d’Art Contemporani, was officially opened in the city of Barcelona, which has a collection of over 200 of his paintings, 175 sculptures, 10 textiles, 5 ceramics, and around 8,000 drawings. On December 25, 1983, Miro died of heart disease at his home in Palma, Mallorca.