Joan Miró (1893-1983), Tête d'homme

Joan Miró (1893-1983)
Tête d'homme
signed, dated and inscribed 'Joan Miró. 9-32. "Tête d'homme."' (on the reverse)
oil on panel
13 7/8 x 10 3/4 in. (35.2 x 27.3 cm.)
Painted in September 1932

Special Notice
Artist's Resale Right ("Droit de Suite"). Artist's Resale Right Regulations 2006 apply to this lot, the buyer agrees to pay us an amount equal to the resale royalty provided for in those Regulations, and we undertake to the buyer to pay such amount to the artist's collection agent.

Provenance
Galerie Pierre Colle, Paris.
Pierre Matisse Gallery, New York, by 1933.
Galerie Maeght, Paris, by 1962 until at least 1983.
Antoni Tàpies, Barcelona, and thence by descent to the present owner.

Pre-Lot Text
MASTERWORKS FROM THE COLLECTION OF ANTONI TÀPIES
Christie’s is honoured to present a selection of Twentieth Century Masterworks from the personal collection of Antoni Tàpies. Offered across a series of auctions throughout 2017 and 2018, these exceptional works offer a unique insight into the powerful bond that existed between this revolutionary artist and the paintings, sculptures and artefacts he encountered over the course of his lifetime. Highly intimate objects, gathered together over the course of his meandering collecting journey, these objects were closely connected to Tàpies’s own artistic practice and reflect the seminal relationships, friendships and concepts that inspired him throughout his artistic career. Each work in the collection stands as a testament to the critical, perceptive and engaged way of looking that Tàpies was renowned for, and the passion he had for the works of his artistic and cultural forebears.
Gathering together artworks and objects apparently epochs and cultures apart, Tàpies collected passionately, but in a unique and idiosyncratic manner. An avid reader of ancient and Eastern philosophy, he held a deep fascination for the concept of ‘authentic reality’, a state of awakening which could be triggered by contact with a piece of art. As his son, Toni has explained: ‘For Tàpies, an artwork had to be like a talisman. A talisman capable of transmitting wisdom, thought and answers to the deepest doubts and concerns that may face a human being’ (T. Tàpies, ‘A Personal View’, in Tàpies: Lo Sguardo Dell’Artista, exh. cat., Venice, 2013, p. 27). It was this energy, the unique spirit of an artwork, that Tàpies sought in all he collected. It was a power which obsessed him, which he attempted to absorb, to digest and nurture, to combine with his own artistic vision, and finally, to translate into the gestures, strokes and marks he put down on his canvases. Each of these carefully selected works of art, chosen for their visual and spiritual presence, provided Tàpies with a personal library of visual stimuli, which acted as a catalyst for his own creative impulses and shaped and influenced his art throughout his career. The importance of these artworks in Tàpies’s everyday experience is evident – these are the images and shapes which captured his imagination, comforted him, inspired him and obsessed him on a daily basis. Each of these artworks provided essential nourishment for Tàpies’s creativity, opening a path for his artistic evolution and pushing his work to new levels of dynamic expression.

Literature
M. M., 'Pierre Matisse Exhibits Miro', in The Art News, vol. 32, no. 14, New York, 6 January 1934, p. 4.
E. Jewett, 'Three Exhibits Get Attention at Arts Club: Compositions of the Modernist Puzzle Critic', in Chicago Tribune, Chicago, 17 March 1934, p. 19.
J. Prévert & G. Ribemont-Dessaignes, Joan Miró, Paris, 1956, p. 124 (illustrated p. 125).
J. Dupin, Joan Miró: Life and Work, London, 1962, no. 318, pp. 249 & 526 (illustrated p. 313).
P. Gimferrer, Miró y su mundo, Barcelona, 1978, no. 59, p. 62 (illustrated p. 63).
R.M. Malet, Joan Miró, Barcelona, 1983, no. 40, p. 127 (illustrated fig. 40).
A. Tàpies, El arte y sus lugares, Madrid, 1999, p. 382 (illustrated p. 383).
J. Dupin & A. Lelong-Mainaud, Joan Miró, Catalogue raisonné, Paintings, vol. II, 1931-1941, Paris, 2000, no. 400, p. 60 (illustrated).

Exhibited
Paris, Galerie Pierre Colle, Exposition Miró, December 1932.
London, The Mayor Gallery, Paintings by Joan Miró, July 1933, no. 8, n.p..
New York, Pierre Matisse Gallery, Joan Miró, Paintings, December 1933 - January 1934, no. 7, n.p..
Chicago, The Arts Club of Chicago, Paintings by Joan Miró, March 1934, no. 4, n.p..
San Francisco, San Francisco Museum of Art, Drawings and Pastels by Miró, June - August 1935.
Los Angeles, Stanley Rose Gallery, Joan Miró, October - November 1935.
New York, The Museum of Modern Art, Cubism and Abstract Art, March - April 1936, no. 171, p. 217 (illustrated fig. 203, p. 184).
Brussels, Palais des Beaux-Arts, Joan Miró, January - February 1956, no. 36, n.p..
Basel, Kunsthalle, Joan Miró, March - April 1956, no. 33, p. 10.
Saint-Paul-de-Vence, Fondation Maeght, Miró, July - September 1968, no. 23, n.p..
Munich, Haus der Kunst, Joan Miró, March - May 1969, no. 35 (illustrated).
Barcelona, Galería Maeght, Un Camí compartit: Miró-Maeght, December 1975 - January 1976, no. 21, n.p..
Barcelona, Fundació Joan Miró, Impactes, Joan Miró 1929-1941, November 1988 - January 1989, no. 17, p. 11 (illustrated p. 46).
New York, The Museum of Modern Art, Joan Miró, October 1993 - January 1994, no. 100, pp. 398-399 (illustrated pp. 187 & 399).
Paris, Musée National d'Art Moderne, Centre Georges Pompidou, Joan Miró, 1917-1934, March - June 2004, no. 191, p. 398 (illustrated pp. 260 & 398).
Barcelona, Fundació Antoni Tàpies, Tàpies. An artist's collection, June 2015 - January 2016, no catalogue.