Henry McBride, New York
Pierre Matisse Gallery, New York
Acquavella Modern Art, Reno
Galerie Jan Krugier, Ditesheim & Cie., Geneva
Acquired from the above by the present owner

Executed on a cream wove paper. The sheet is taped to the mount at the upper edge. There is a repaired tear at each of the upper corners. The artist's pinholes are visible at the centre right edge, centre upper edge and at the two lower corners. Otherwise this work is in very good condition.
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.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

Working in Barcelona on the eve of the Spanish Civil War, Miró executed a series of paintings and gouaches, on board, copper masonite and paper, which he referred to as peintures sauvages, representing his foray into a world inhabited by ominous and primitive forces.

Just as Picasso assembled recurring symbols from his oeuvre to compose a potent image of the physical devastation resulting from the war, Miró drew upon his lexicon of hybrid creatures and Catalan environs to give voice to the emotional battle endured by the Spanish people before the war began. Yet Miró's artistic response was not merely a direct reflection of the evils around him. Rather, he often intended his peintures sauvages as expressions of hope and affirmations of life instead.

In the present work the figurative imagery is less exaggerated than in many of the other works from the period. The black, orange and green colours of the flag, which appears at half-mast, remind us of the Catalan landscape, dear to the artist's heart.

The fir🐼st owner of this work was Henry McBride, an influential American art critic, an early supporter of the modernist movement and friend to Marcel Duchamp and Henri Matisse.