Joan Miró: Beyond Painting at Fondation Maeght

Fondation Maeght in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, France celebrates Joan Miró, in Joan Miró: Beyond Painting (29 June–17 November 2019) curated by Rosa Maria Malet, former director of the Fundació Joan Miró in Barcelona, focussing on his graphic work. 

The Catalan artist was a major player in the foundation’s creation alongside Marguerite and Aimé Maeght and their architect friend Josep Lluís Sert. 

As the artist explained: 

“For me, engraving is a fine means of expression. It has been a means of liberation, of expansion, of discovery. Initially, however, I was a prisoner of its constraints, of its ‘cooking’, of its tools and recipes that were too dependent on tradition. That had to be resisted and dealt with, and then a huge field of possibilities opened up to the gaze and to the hand… The despotism of the tool was gradually defeated. I can use a pointed tool or a burin, and my fingers, my hands, a nail or an old screwdriver too. I’ve even been able to free myself from the paper normally used, and have proofs made on the unlikeliest kinds of paper.”