Important Miró exhibition planned for September at the Standard Bank Gallery
A major international exhibition of selected works by the twentieth century master Joan MirMiró (1920-1976) will be on display from September 18 to December 7 at the Standard Bank Gallery, Johannesburg. This collection of works produced during the last decades of Miró's life has been especially curated for a South African audience by Alan Crump, assisted by Meret Meyer-Graber and members of the curatorial team who worked on the Chagall exhibition, and will only be exhibited at the Standard Bank Gallery.
Following the success of the Marc Chagall exhibition in 2000, held at the Standard Bank Gallery, Johannesburg and the South African National Gallery, Cape Town, this is the second joint initiative between Standard Bank of South Africa, Air France, the French Institute of SA (IFAS) and the Embassy of France.
This exhibition comprises two paintings, 24 works on paper and 21 sculptures loaned from Fondation Maeght in Saint Paul, South of France, as well as two works on paper from a French private collection. The relationship between painting and poetry is also celebrated in this exhibition, with 26 lithographs from nine rare books of French poetry illustrated by Mir�. A room in the gallery will be dedicated to the biography of the artist.
Unlike many of the avant-garde artists of the time, MirMiró chose the universal language of the subconscious over intellectualism and his work, particularly from this later period, draws extensively from primordial forms and images, which relate to the influence which African culture had on the development of modernism.
The selection of sculptures from Fondation Maeght constitutes two different approaches: the assemblages made from found objects typify his Surrealistic work produced in patinaed bronze or painted in high colour, and the "mythical" works which he produced from 1944.
An exhibition catalogue will be produced. It will be a full colour illustrated biography, entitled 'The Magical Universe of Joan MirMiró', and will include essays in English by Jean-Louis Prat, Jacques Dupin, Alan Crump and Rory Doepel. The catalogue will retail at the gallery at a cost of R280.
An extensive lecture and walkabout programme, which is available on request, will coincide with the exhibition, together with a comprehensive children's educational workshop.
If you would like more information on the educational and walkabout programmes, please contact Barbara Freemantle at the gallery:
Tel. 011 636 4231
Fax 011 636 7515
Or Henri Vergon (Ifas)
Tel. 011 836 0561
Fax 011 836 5850
