Joan Mirò (Barcelona 1893-Palma de Mallorca 1983)

Mirò, born in Barcelona in 1983, began his career as a clerk but soon turned to art, training at the private academy of Fransisco Galì and the Free Academy of Drawing of the Cercle Artistic de Sant Lluc. During these years Miró came into contact with the Dada artistic avant-garde, whose desire to break with tradition and initiate artistic research in constant movement he admired. In 1919, he moved to Paris, where he interacted with artists such as Pablo Picasso and experienced the Surrealist milieu, although he did not fully adhere to it. In the 1930s Miró explored innovative techniques, such as collages and constructions, and developed the concept of the 'murder of painting' as a sign of rebellion against traditional artistic techniques. The artist intended to go beyond the traditional technique of oplio painting, to seek new methods in response to contemporary needs. During the period of the Spanish Civil War, his work reflected a feeling of great upheaval that influenced his art. He dressed himself in a crude realism with acid tones, defined as 'tragic', from which came disturbing and gloomy works. After the events of the war, the artist was able to regain a state of calm that led him to the Constellations series. In later years, he turned to ceramics and bronze sculptures, continuing to explore new techniques and materials.