Joan Miró, Tapestry ‘Personnages Rythmiques’, ex MoMA, 1934 Hand woven tapestry France, 1934 Joan Miró (1893-1983) – Spanish painter, graphic artist and sculptor Commissioned by and in collaboration with Marie Cuttoli (1879-1973), patron of the arts and friend of the artist Verso with old MoMA collection number ‘65.1193 Johnson’ and ‘El 4-1335’ The catalogue raisonné number for the template painting is 366 – Jacques Dupont (1961) Dimensions: 194 x 177 cm Good Condition Provenance: formerly owned by the American architect Philip Johnson, thereafter in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York – see screenshot of Johnson’s office at MoMA with the tapestry on the wall Thereafter in a German private collection, acquired from Galerie Beyeler, Basel in 1973 (copy of the invoice provided) An early and unique tapestry by one of the most important artists of Modernism; works with such a complete provenance are a rarity on today’s art market As a template for this tapestry, Joan Miró created the painting ‘Personnages Rythmiques’ [Rhythmic Figures] in 1934, demonstrating his artistic sense par excellence: its reduction to clear primary colours, emblematic black forms, and the recurrent cosmic symbols, like the moon, create fantastic realities. The organic lines and anthropomorphic colour fields are reminiscent of human bodies or animal-like creatures, which dance around the dream-like scene. Miró was a spirited poet and imaginative magician in the arts, whose works oscillate between cheerfulness and drama. The tapestry was created in collaboration with the French entrepreneur and art collector Marie Cuttoli (1879-1973). Cuttoli is nowadays considered the most important patron of textiles and modern tapestry of the 1920s and 1930s, who, alongside Joan Miró, also worked with other greats of the avant-garde, such as Georges Braque, Fernand Léger, Matisse and Picasso, whom she convinced to realise their works in the form of tapestries. The tapestry was once in the private collection of the internationally renowned American architect and Pritzker Prize winner Philip Johnson (1906-2005), who founded the Architecture and Design Department at the Museum of Modern Art in New York in the early 1930s. The tapestry adorned Johnson’s puristically furnished office (see screen shot) before eventually finding its way into the collection of MoMA. The provenance of this extraordinary work by Miró has no gaps – the work was acquired by a German collector from the prestigious Beyeler Gallery in Basel in 1973 and has remained in private hands ever since. The tapestry is in good condition according to its age. The surface is slightly worn, the colours are only slightly faded. Partially the seams are reinforced. On the left side the seam of the border is loose in places. Here and there, the woven fabric is slightly thinned. In the lower right section there is slight discolouration as well as a small hole, which is hardly visible. The fringes are a little worn. Verso there is a label with the old MoMA collection number lower left ‘65.1193 Johnson’ and lower right ‘E.L. 4-1335’. A bar with eyelets for hanging is attached to the back along the upper border. The tapestry measures 194 x 177 cm- Joan Miró (1893-1983) Miró was born in Barcelona where he grew up and started his artistic training. He attended the art academy La Llotja against his parents’ will and later studied at Francesc Galí’s art school. In 1917, he met Francis Picabia who introduced him to the Dadaists. However, Miró was also strongly influenced by the Fauves and the Cubists. In 1920, he moved to Paris where he lived amongst the most creative artists of his time. He got to know Arp, Magritte, Brancusi and Giacometti and exhibited together with Dalí, Tanguy, Meret Oppenheim und Max Ernst. He moved to Mallorca in 1956, where he firstly focused on sculptures, later also on ceramics and oil paintings. Miró was confident with all media. He created an extensive oeuvre and is nowadays one of the most sought after exponents of classical modernism. A free and highly symbolic formal language and a poetic composition characterise his work. Today Miró’s works can be found in the Guggenheim Museum, MoMA and Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the Tate Gallery in London and the Albertina in Vienna, as well as in many other museums and public collections all over the world. Starting price: 60000