Details

Provenance

Pierre Matisse Gallery, New York Acquavella Galleries, New York Private Collection, Florida James Goodman Gallery, New York Acquired from the above by the present owner in January 2006

Literature

Sculptures de Miró: céramiques de Miró et Llorens Artigas ( exhibition catalogue), Fondation Maeght, Saint-Paul, 1973, no. 127, illustration of another cast Alain Jouffroy & Joan Teixidor, Miró Sculptures , Paris, 1974, no. 190, illustration of another cast p. 136 Fundació Joan Miró, Obra de Joan Miró , Barcelona, 1979, no. 317, illustration of another cast p. 173 Joan Miró: Peintures, sculptures, dessins, céramiques, 1956-1979 (exhibition catalogue), Fondation Maeght, Saint-Paul, 1979, no. 262, catalogued p. 187 Emilio Fernández Miró & Pilar Ortega Chapel, Joan Miró. Sculptures. Catalogue raisonné, 1928-1982 , Paris, 2006, no. 238, colour illustration of another cast p. 238 Condition Light green and brown patina applied unevenly, probably by the artist. This work is in good original condition. <br><br>Colours: Overall fairly accurate, although brighter in the original. "In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue. NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE." Catalogue Note Miró's totemic Femme is among the most arresting of the artist's late sculptures, created by assembling a selection of bizarre found objects and casting them in bronze. Its very genesis places it firmly in the realm of the Surrealist marvellous , a concept so profound that it gave creative impetus to almost everything which the movement produced and informed much of its theory. Each composite element – be it  a bottle, a coin or a scrap of metal – is transfigured by the casting process and together, in the viewer's eye, they are assimilated into the form of an improbable being: an automaton, a cadavre exquis , a portent of repressed desires. The present work is imbued with great significance when seen in the context of the Surrealist's preoccupation with the femme fatale and, in particular, with occurrences of this phenomenal figure in myth and in nature. One such example features time and again in Surrealist imagery: the female Mantis (fig. 1). This spectral predator was venerated for its ability to mimic its environment and for its uniquely cannibalistic tendencies. For the Surrealists, this combination of eroticism and death was all too tempting. Miró's insectoid Femme , distinguished by its richly textured polychrome patina, appears almost organic, almost camouflaged. Seemingly inert, its stilted pose threatens something imminent, potentially fatal. And yet this phantasm is the product of mere everyday objects, given meaning only by the artist's whim; true to Surrealist principles, Miró demonstrates how the marvellous is always present in even the most banal of objects. Fig. 1, 'Magie prestigieuse chez la manta mendica', photograph by Le Charles published in Minotaure , no. 7, 1935, p. 8

Catalog summary

Joan Miró FEMME inscribed Miró and stamped with the foundry mark Fundació Victoria J. Parellada Barcelona bronze height: 139.7cm., 55in. Provenance Pierre Matisse Gallery, New York Acquavella Galleries, New York Private Collection, Florida James Goodman Gallery, New York Acquired from the above by the present owner in January 2006 Literature Sculptures de Miró: céramiques de Miró et Llorens Artigas ( exhibition catalogue), Fondation Maeght, Saint-Paul, 1973, no. 127, illustration of another cast Alain Jouffroy & Joan Teixidor, Miró Sculptures , Paris, 1974, no. 190, illustration of another cast p. 136 Fundació Joan Miró, Obra de Joan Miró , Barcelona, 1979, no. 317, illustration of another cast p. 173 Joan Miró: Peintures, sculptures, dessins, céramiques, 1956-1979 (exhibition catalogue), Fondation Maeght, Saint-Paul, 1979, no. 262, catalogued p. 187 Emilio Fernández Miró & Pilar Ortega Chapel, Joan Miró. Sculptures. Catalogue raisonné, 1928-1982 , Paris, 2006, no. 238, colour illustration of another cast p. 238 Condition Light green and brown patina applied unevenly, probably by the artist. This work is in good original condition. <br><br>Colours: Overall fairly accurate, although brighter in the original. "In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue. NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE." Catalogue Note Miró's totemic Femme is among the most arresting of the artist's late sculptures, created by assembling a selection of bizarre found objects and casting them in bronze. Its very genesis places it firmly in the realm of the Surrealist marvellous , a concept so profound that it gave creative impetus to almost everything which the movement produced and informed much of its theory. Each composite element – be it  a bottle, a coin or a scrap of metal – is transfigured by the casting process and together, in the viewer's eye, they are assimilated into the form of an improbable being: an automaton, a cadavre exquis , a portent of repressed desires. The present work is imbued with great significance when seen in the context of the Surrealist's preoccupation with the femme fatale and, in particular, with occurrences of this phenomenal figure in myth and in nature. One such example features time and again in Surrealist imagery: the female Mantis (fig. 1). This spectral predator was venerated for its ability to mimic its environment and for its uniquely cannibalistic tendencies. For the Surrealists, this combination of eroticism and death was all too tempting. Miró's insectoid Femme , distinguished by its richly textured polychrome patina, appears almost organic, almost camouflaged. Seemingly inert, its stilted pose threatens something imminent, potentially fatal. And yet this phantasm is the product of mere everyday objects, given meaning only by the artist's whim; true to Surrealist principles, Miró demonstrates how the marvellous is always present in even the most banal of objects. Fig. 1, 'Magie prestigieuse chez la manta mendica', photograph by Le Charles published in Minotaure , no. 7, 1935, p. 8