‘LITHOGRAPHE I - PLATE IV’ BY JOAN MIRÓ (1972)

Two of eleven plates realized by JOAN MIRÓ (1893–1983) for Volume I of his 1972 Catalogue Raisonné of lithographs (published by Graphis Arte, Livorno, and Toninelli Arte Moderna, Milano)—each a vibrant dance of whimsy and the subconscious. Famously eschewing academic theory, Miró’s creative approach involved the free play of association—provoking “accidents” connected to the inner workings of his psyche. Hence, the poet André Breton (1896–1966) called him “the most Surrealist of us all.” The sense of cheerful playfulness is integral to his enduring popularity. Priced individually and accompanied by Gallery COAs. JOAN MIRÓ I FERRÀ is regarded as one of the 20th century’s most original artists. He struck a balance—between spontaneity and automatism on the one hand and meticulous planning and rendering on the other—which makes his work, because of its precision, seem somehow representational, despite its considerable abstraction. His mature style arose out of the tension between the brut