Joan Miró

Joan Miró ( 1893 Barcelona / 1983 Palma de Majorque ) son of a watch maker and silversmith.

Joan Miro 1906

1907 : Enrols at the School of Commerce in Barcelona. At the same time he attends classes at the School of Industrial and Fine Arts (the Llotja).
1910 :Enrols in the school of art run by Francesc Galí.
1918 : First one-man show at the Galeries Dalmau, Barcelona.
1920 : Travels to Paris for the first time, visits Picasso in his studio.
1921 : First solo exhibition in Paris at the Galerie La Licorne.
1923 : He meets avant-garde poets, painters and writers as well as Ernest Hemingway, who purchases The farm.
1925 : Solo exhibition at the Galerie Pierre, Paris.
1928 : Produces the first object-collages titled Spanish dancer. Visits Belgium and Holland. Paints the Dutch interiors in Mont-roig (80 mi S-W of Barcelona).
1929 : Works on the series known as "Imaginary portraits". Marries Pilar Juncosa in Palma, Majorca. They settle in Paris.
1930 : In Mont-roig he produces his first three-dimensional pieces. First one-man show in the United States, at the Valentine Gallery, New York.

The Farm 1923	The Spanish dancer 1928	Dutch interior I 1928
Imaginary portrait 1929	Imaginary portrait 1929	Imaginary portrait 1929

Joan Miro Paris, 1925
Photograph : Man Ray

1931 : In Mont-roig he starts a series of paintings on Ingres paper and object-paintings.
1932 : Works on a new series of objects. Designs the curtain, sets, costumes and objects for the ballet Jeux d'enfants performed by the Ballets Russes de Monte-Carlo. First one-man show at the Pierre Matisse Gallery, New York.
1936 : Outbreak of the Spanish Civil War, he decides to stay in Paris. Attends life classes at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière, where he produces a large number of drawings.
1938 : Produces a large mural painting, The reaper (Catalan peasant in revolt), for the Spanish Republican Government's pavilion, at the World's Fair in Paris.
1940 : Miró decides to return to Spain, in Palma, Majorca, with his wife and daughter.
1941 : First large retrospective exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art, New York.
1942 : Continues working exclusively on paper. Returns to Barcelona
1944 Produces his first ceramics, Publication of the set of 50 lithographs known as the Barcelona series, Returns to painting on canvas, which he had virtually abandoned since 1939.
1946 Produces his first bronze sculptures.

The reaper 1937

Woman deaming of an escape 1945

Solar bird 1947

( Known only through a few black and white photographs, The Reaper was exhibited at the Paris World's Fair in 1937. Picasso's famous Guernica was also exhibited there. Unfortunately after the fair was dismantled, The Reaper was lost )

1947 First trip to the United States, where he produces a mural painting for the Gourmet Room at the Terrace Plaza Hotel in Cincinnati:

Joan Miro, Mont-roig, 1952

1949 He alternates between two types of painting: one more reflective and the other more gestural and impulsive. Although based in Barcelona, he makes frequent visits to Paris to work on printing techniques at the Mourlot studio (lithographs) and at the Atelier Lacourière (engravings). His work on ceramics and sculpture becomes increasingly intensive. Exhibition at the Galerías Layetanas, Barcelona.
1950 Starts work on the mural painting for the dining hall at Harkness Commons, Harvard University, commissioned by Walter Gropius, which he completes the following year.
1958 Inauguration of the two murals for UNESCO in Paris, for which he receives the Guggenheim International Award.
1960 Works with Josep Llorens Artigas on the ceramic mural for Harkness Commons, Harvard University, to replace the mural painting.

The Moon, a mural for the UNESCO Paris

1966 Produces his first monumental sculptures in bronze, Sun bird and Moon bird. Retrospective exhibition at the National Museum of Art, Tokyo. Visits Japan for the first time,
1967 Installation of a ceramic mural, produced in collaboration with Josep Llorens Artigas, at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York. Awarded the Carnegie International Grand Prize for painting.
1970 Ceramic mural and mural painting for the Laughter Pavilion sponsored by Japanese gas companies at the Osaka World's Fair. In conjunction with Artigas, he produces a monumental ceramic mural for Barcelona Airport.
1976 Installation of the ceramic paving in the Pla de l'Os in the Rambla, Barcelona.
1977 Produces a large tapestry in conjunction with Josep Royo for the National Gallery, Washington D.C.

Alicia, Salomon Guggenheim Museum New York

1978 Unveiling of the monumental sculpture Lovers playing with almond blossom in La Défense, Paris.

1981 Installation of the monumental sculpture known as Miss Chicago in Brunswick Plaza, Chicago.

1982 Installation of the monumental sculpture Woman and bird in the Parc de Joan Miró, Barcelona.

Back to : the Miró Foundation

Sources :
http://www.fundaciomiro-bcn.org/?idioma=2
http://catalogue.successiomiro.com/catalogues/ceramics/mur-de-la-lune-1957-424.html