This exquisite lithograph by Joan Miro (1893–1983), titled Les oiseaux de proie (Birds of Prey), from the album XXe Siecle, Numero special hors abonnement, Hommage a Dorothea Tanning, originates from the 1977 edition published by Societe Internationale d'Art XXe siecle, Paris, and printed by Mourlot Freres, Paris, 1977. Les oiseaux de proie captures Miro’s vibrant synthesis of surrealism and abstraction—its bold forms and radiant colors evoking both the energy of flight and the primal rhythms of nature.
Executed as lithographs on velin paper, this work measures 19.5 x 12.5 inches, with centerfold as issued. Signed in the plate and unnumbered, as issued. The edition exemplifies the superb craftsmanship of Mourlot Freres, Paris.
Artwork Details:
Artist: Joan Miro (1893–1983)
Title: Les oiseaux de proie (Birds of Prey), from the album XXe Siecle, Numero special hors abonnement, Hommage a Dorothea Tanning
Medium: Lithographs on velin paper
Dimensions: 19.5 x 12.5 inches (49.53 x 31.75 cm), with centerfold as issued
Inscription: Signed in the plate and unnumbered, as issued
Date: 1977
Publisher: Societe Internationale d'Art XXe siecle, Paris
Printer: Mourlot Freres, Paris
Condition: Well preserved, consistent with age and medium
Provenance: From the album XXe Siecle, Numero special hors abonnement, Hommage a Dorothea Tanning, published by Societe Internationale d'Art XXe siecle, Paris, and printed by Mourlot Freres, Paris, 1977
About the Publication:
Gualtieri di San Lazzaro's XXe Siecle (Twentieth Century) was one of the most influential art journals of the modern era, founded in Paris in 1938 as a platform for the greatest painters, sculptors, and writers of the 20th century. San Lazzaro, a visionary editor, critic, and champion of modernism, believed that art and literature should coexist as expressions of a shared human imagination. Under his direction, XXe Siecle became a cultural bridge between Europe and the wider world, publishing special issues devoted to leading figures such as Picasso, Matisse, Chagall, Braque, Calder, Miro, Kandinsky, and Leger. Each edition combined essays by renowned critics and poets with original lithographs printed by the foremost ateliers of Paris, London, and New York, including Mourlot, Curwen, and Universal Graphics, creating a uniquely rich dialogue between text and image. Through XXe Siecle, San Lazzaro preserved the creative spirit of the avant-garde during and after World War II, championing freedom of expression and the evolution of abstraction, surrealism, and modern thought. Over nearly four decades, the journal shaped international taste and defined the intellectual landscape of postwar art publishing. Today, XXe Siecle remains celebrated for its extraordinary synthesis of art, literature, and design, an enduring testament to Gualtieri di San Lazzaro's belief that the visual arts are the soul of the modern age.
About the Artist:
Joan Miro (1893–1983) was a Catalan painter, sculptor, printmaker, and ceramicist whose visionary imagination and lyrical abstraction made him one of the most influential and beloved artists of the 20th century. Born in Barcelona, Miro drew inspiration from Catalan folk art, Romanesque frescoes, and the luminous landscapes of Mont-roig del Camp, developing a deep connection to nature that infused his work with vitality and symbolism. After formal training at the Escola d'Art in Barcelona, he absorbed the lessons of Post-Impressionism and Cubism before moving to Paris in the early 1920s, where he became a leading figure in the Surrealist movement. There, Miro forged a personal visual language of biomorphic shapes, floating symbols, and radiant color harmonies that reflected both spontaneity and spiritual depth. In creative dialogue with peers such as Alexander Calder, Alberto Giacometti, Salvador Dali, Wassily Kandinsky, Marcel Duchamp, and Man Ray, he helped revolutionize modern art by dissolving the boundaries between abstraction and dream imagery. Miro's inventive approach extended far beyond painting, embracing sculpture, ceramics, and monumental public commissions that redefined how art could interact with space and emotion. His expressive freedom and gestural abstraction profoundly influenced later artists including Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, Alexander Calder, Jean Dubuffet, Antoni Tapies, and Joan Mitchell, inspiring generations who sought to merge instinct, color, and imagination. Today, Miro's work remains a cornerstone of modernism, prized by collectors and celebrated in major museums worldwide. His highest auction record was achieved by Peinture (Etoile Bleue) (1927), which sold for £23,561,250 (approximately $37 million) at Sotheby's, London, on June 19, 2012.
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