Typical of Joan Miró, L' Exile Vert (The Green Exile), 1969, combines bold colors and playful dots and lines to create a character of the imagination. At once, viewers are drawn to the luminescent green brush strokes which outline a smiling, mischievous face. We cannot help but imagine what misconduct caused such a character to become an exile. Naturally, the dopey pointed eyes, red nose and a mouth of black bars are sure to inspire humorous reactions as well. Such a playful face is sure to delight children and adults alike.

This work also beautifully demonstrates Miró’s masterful use of etching and aquatint with carborundum, one of the most innovative and visually striking printmaking techniques of the twentieth century. Carborundum, a gritty abrasive material applied directly onto the printing plate, allowed Miró to achieve richly textured surfaces, velvety blacks, and painterly gestures rarely possible in traditional printmaking. Combined with etching and aquatint, the process created extraordinary depth, spontaneity, and luminous color, giving his prints an almost tactile quality. Many of Miró’s most famous and sought-after graphic works from the late 1960s and 1970s employ this technique, which is celebrated for blurring the line between painting and printmaking. These ambitious works are held in major museum collections throughout the world and are widely regarded as some of the most important and visually dynamic prints of Miró’s career.

Created in 1969, this color etching, aquatint and carborundum on chiffon de Mandeure is published by Maeght, Paris and printed by Arte Arien Maeght, Paris.  Hand-signed by Joan Miró (Barcelona, 1893 - Palma, 1983) and dated ‘29/XI/71’ in pencil the lower left, this work is numbered from the edition of 75.

Catalogue Raisonné & COA:

Joan Miró, L' Exile Vert (The Green Exile), 1969, is fully documented and referenced in the below catalogue raisonnés and texts (copies will be enclosed as added documentation with the invoices that will accompany the final sale of the work).

1.Dupin, Jacques. Miró Engraver, Vol. II 1961 – 1973. Rizzoli: New York, 1989. Listed and illustrated as catalogue raisonné no. 498.

2. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany this work.

About the Framing:

Joan Miró, L' Exile Vert (The Green Exile), 1969, is framed to museum-grade, conservation standards, presented in a complementary moulding and finished with silk-wrapped mats and optical grade Plexiglass.