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Joan Miro, (1893-1983) Spanish painter, sculptor, graphic artist and designer,
first visited Paris in 1919, where from then until 1936 he spent his winters in Paris
and summers near Barcelona. Although his early paintings showed many influences, he
was particularly influenced by the Surrealists and throughout his life remained true
to the surrealistic principle of releasing the creative forces of the unconscious mind
from the control of logic and reason. However, his work stood apart and outside
classification. Although much of his work is delightfully playful, it could also be
somber as when he designed propaganda posters for the fight against Franco. Because
of the Civil War Miro settled in Paris in 1936, but returned to Spain to escape the
German occupation in 1940 and lived there for the rest of his life mostly on the island
of Majorca. It was about this time that he began to achieve international recognition
and had a retrospective exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 1941. As
well as being represented in every important museum worldwide, he had numerous large
public commissions and his works can be seen in public places in many major cities.
Always interested in making his work more accessible, he was productive as a printmaker
and explored new printmaking techniques into his old age. Despite his fame, Miro was a
modest retiring figure very devoted to his work.
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