THREE WORKS BY MIRO TO FEATURE IN BONHAMS IMPRESSIONIST & MODERN ART AUCTION
As the Joan Miró retrospective draws crowds to the Tate Modern, three works by one of the greatest Surrealist painters are to be auctioned at Bonhams Impressionist & Modern Art sale on Tuesday 21st June, New Bond Street, London.
The three works all display the signature striking style of the artist, and have attracted pre-sale estimates to tempt a range of buyers.
The most affordable is Abstrait (£5,000-7,000) while Femme is expected to sell for £60,000-80,000. The most valuable of the trio is Tête (£100,000-150,000), a beautiful watercolour, gouache and pastel of a face.
Miró is a highly iconic artist and his deceptively simple imagery betrays highly complex symbology. His works are often noted for their energetic compositions, perhaps displaying the vibrancy of his Catalan upbringing. Andre Breton described him as the most Surrealist of the Surrealists yet his work was also influenced by Dada and his experimental nature means that he resists easy classification into one artistic movement.
The Bonhams auction catalogue for this sale also includes works by Modigliani, Renoir, Picasso and Chagall.
Hannah Foster, of Bonhams Impressionist and Modern Art Department comments, “We have an exciting collection of Miró works from the 1970s ranging from £5,000-15,000 in this sale. They bear testimony to the unfettered and expressive style characteristic of this period in Miró’s oeuvre when he progressed from his earlier more tightly composed canvases towards an increasingly spontaneous and immediate aesthetic.”
Bonhams, founded in 1793, is one of the world's oldest and largest auctioneers of fine art and antiques. The present company was formed by the merger in November 2001 of Bonhams & Brooks and Phillips Son and Neale UK. In August 2002, the company acquired Butterfields, the principal firm of auctioneers on the West Coast of America. Today, Bonhams offers more sales than any of its rivals, through two major salerooms in London: New Bond Street, and Knightsbridge, and a further five throughout the UK. Sales are also held in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Carmel, New York and Boston in the USA; Toronto, Canada; and France, Monaco, Hong Kong, Australia and Dubai. Bonhams has a worldwide network of offices and regional representatives in 25 countries offering sales advice and valuation services in 57 specialist areas. By the end of 2009, Bonhams had become UK market leaders in ten key specialist collecting areas. For a full listing of upcoming sales, plus details of Bonhams specialist departments, go towww.bonhams.com
