20th century Spanish painter, graphic artist, draftsman, sculptor, theater designer, monumental painter. One of the most famous representatives of the surrealist art movement. Joan Miró (Joan Miró in Catalan) was born on April 20, 1893 in Barcelona. His father Miguel was a goldsmith and watchmaker. His mother Dolors was the daughter of a furniture manufacturer. In 1907, Ch. Miró entered a business school in Barcelona and attended classes at the School of Arts and Crafts. After his studies, he got a job as an office clerk. After 2 years, he suffered a psychological breakdown and abandoned his service. His parents took him to the Mont-Roč resort near Tarragona. In 1912 − 1915, Ch. Miró continued his art studies at the Francesc Galí School in Barcelona. He was sponsored by the art dealer José Dalmau, in whose gallery in 1918 the first Ch. Miró exhibition. In 1917, the artist met Francis Picabia. During this period, he painted landscapes, portraits, and nudes in the Fauvist manner in Catalonia and Mallorca, and was influenced by Cézanne and the use of geometric forms by the Cubists. In 1920, Miró traveled to Paris, where he met Picasso. He spent time between Mont-Roch in Catalonia and Paris. He met the writers Max Jacob, Pierre Reverdy, and Tristan Tzara. He participated in Dadaist events. He was influenced by Klee. In 1921, José Dalmau organized Miró's first solo exhibition in Paris, at the La Licorne gallery. In 1923, his works were exhibited at the Paris Salon du Réunion. In 1924, Miró joined the Paris Surrealist group and signed the Surrealist Manifesto. In 1925, His major exhibition took place at the Pierre Gallery, and in the same year he participated in the first joint exhibition of the Paris Surrealist group at the same gallery. In 1928, Miró visited the Netherlands and began a series of paintings inspired by the old Dutch painters; he created his first collages. In 1929, Miró married Pilar Juncosa (1904−1995) in Palma, and the following year the couple's only child, a daughter, Maria Dolors, was born. In 1929, he began experimenting with lithography and in 1933, he created his first etchings. At the beginning of the decade, he created surrealist sculptures from randomly found objects and painted stones. In 1936, Miró left his homeland due to the Spanish Civil War and returned in 1941. His works were included in an exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in 1936 and in 1937 The artist was commissioned to create a monumental painting for the Spanish Pavilion for the World Exhibition in Paris. In 1941, the Museum of Modern Art in New York hosted Miró's first retrospective exhibition in a museum. In 1944, Miró began working with ceramics with Josep Lloréns y Artigas, devoting more time to graphic art. From 1954 to 1958, Miró worked almost exclusively in these art forms. In 1954, he won the Grand Prix for graphic art at the Venice Biennale. In 1958, Miró was awarded the Guggenheim International Prize for his murals in the UNESCO building in Paris. In 1959, Miró resumed painting on large-format canvases. After 1960, he worked intensively in the field of sculpture. His retrospective exhibitions were held in: 1962 in the National Museum of Modern Art in Paris and in 1974 in the Grand Palais on the Champs-Élysées in Paris. In 1978, more than 500 of the artist's drawings were exhibited at the National Museum of Modern Art in Paris. In 1980, Joan Miró was awarded the Spanish Gold Medal for painting. A square in Madrid and a park in Barcelona are named after him. Joan Miró died on December 25, 1983 in Palma de Mallorca. He was buried in the Montjuïc Cemetery in Barcelona. In 1975, Joan Miró established a foundation-museum in his name in Barcelona. Another museum was founded in Mallorca in 1981 after works were donated by Joan Miró and his wife.
