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This original etching and aquatint in colours is hand signed in pencil by the artist “Miró” at the lower right margin.
It is also hand numbered in pencil from the edition of 30, at the lower left margin.
It was printed in a limited edition of 30 hand signed and numbered impressions by Joan Barbarà, Barcelona, and published by Maeght, Barcelona.
This is the sixth plate from the total of 28 plates for the series Els Rupestres [Cave Paintings].
The work has been authenticated and certified by Rosa Maria Malet, the director of the Fundació Miró in Barcelona. Her certification is handwritten and signed in pencil i on the verso.
Note: Miró contacted Joan Barbarà, whom he had met earlier in Crommelynck’s and Dutrou’s studio in Paris. Before beginning the Gaudí series, Miró thought it advisable to have a test run and adapt himself to Barbarà’s way of working. They both worked very freely, allowing for much experimentation. Out of this came several series, each with a clear character of its own, and all masterfully executed. Unlike most of Miró’s production, for which he usually chose titles in French, the titles for these series were in Catalan. Els Rupestres (1977) and Grans Rupestres (1977) are two print series that recreate the primitive, vivid atmosphere of prehistoric mural paintings. Miró had visited the Altamira caves with ceramist Artigas when he was searching for ideas to develop in the murals commissioned for the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, which he completed in 1958. Almost twenty years later, he once again drew on the gestural and synthetic qualities of cave painting with even greater synchrony than before.
Literature: Dupin, J. (2001). Miró Engraver, Vol. IV 1976-1983. Paris: Éditeur Daniel Lelong. Reference: Dupin 1040.
Condition: Very good condition. The sheet tipped to a support board at several points, verso.
