Pierre Matisse Gallery, New York (until at least 1964)
Galería Theo, Madrid
Galerie Gmurzynska, Cologne
Private Collection, Europe (acquired from the above. Sale: Christie's, London, 30th June 1999, lot 512)
Private Collection, USA (Sale: Sotheby's, London, 26th June 2001, lot 31)
Purchased at the above sale by the present owner

New York, The Museum of Modern Art; Northampton, Massachusetts, Smith College Museum of Art; Poughkeepsie, New York, Vassar College; Portland, Portland Art Museum & San Francisco, San Francisco Museum of Arts, Joan Miró, 1941-42, illustrated in the catalogue
London, Tate Gallery & Zurich, Kunsthaus, Joan Miró, 1964, no. 124
New York, The Museum of Modern Art, Joan Miró: A Ninetieth Birthday Tribute, 1983
Barcelona, Galería Theo, Joan Miró, 1989, no. 5, illustrated in the catalogue
Madrid, Galería Theo, Miró, obras de 1916 a 1976, 1989-90, no. 10, illustrated in colour in the catalogue

Jacques Dupin, Miró, London, 1962, no. 401, illustrated p. 531
Werner Schmalenbach, Joan Miró, Zeichnungen aus den späten Jahren, Frankfurt, 1982, illustrated p. 20
Sidra Stich, Anxious Visions: Surrealist Art, New York, 1990, p. 40
Jacques Dupin & Ariane Lelong-Minaud, Joan Miró. Catalogue Raisonné. Paintings, Paris, 2000, vol. II, no. 483, illustrated in colour p. 122

The board is stable. There are a few repaired tears to the surface of the board towards the lower part of the right edge. There are some areas of retouching in the blue pigment (the largest of which is under the figure), which are visible under ultra-violet light and have discoloured with time. These could be improved by a professional restorer. This work is in stable condition. Colours: Overall fairly accurate, although more vibrant 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."

Working in Barcelona on the eve of the Spanish Civil War, Miró executed a series of paintings on board, copper and masonite, which he referred to as peintures sauvages, representing his foray into a world inhabited by ominous and primitive forces. In his works from this period, Miró drew upon a lexicon of hybrid creatures and Catalan environs to give voice to the emotional battle endured by the Spanish people in the months leading up to the war. 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.

 

Sidra Stich wrote of the present work: 'The ghostly is also conveyed by Dancer, January 9th 1935, by Miró's total isolation of a single black figure, depicted as a vigorous but hollow-faced spirit-being or performing diviner. Here too the space around is empty, and although the image almost duplicates that of the so-named "dumbbell type dancing woman" from petroglyphs of the Cerenzuela shelter, Miró has added a frenzied tone to the arm gesticulation and body posture' (S. Stich, op. cit., p. 40).