Joan Miro (1893-1983) - L'Issue dérobée

Joan Miró i Ferrà
L’Issue dérobée, 1974
Original etching executed in mixed technique — drypoint and color aquatint —, made in Paris in 1974 as part of the graphic project conceived by Joan Miró for L’Issue dérobée, with texts by the poet and art critic Jacques Dupin.
The work is signed in pencil by the artist in the lower right corner and justified “H.C.” — hors-commerce — in the lower left margin. It is one of the few pieces out of commerce, belonging to a restricted edition of only 20 H.C. proofs, a circumstance that markedly increases its rarity and appeal within Miró’s graphic market.
The composition represents a particularly refined expression of the artist’s language during his mature period. On a white, open space unfolds a complex architecture of black lines, ascending curves, arrows, stellar signs, and small orbital forms. These elements traverse the surface with apparent spontaneity, but respond to a carefully constructed visual balance.
The linear structure is articulated through broad enveloping strokes that traverse horizontally the image and dialogue with a succession of chromatic nuclei of great intensity: luminous yellow, earthy red, pink, orange, and a deep dark green. In the lower zone, numerous splatters and green spots introduce an organic and atmospheric dimension, like a vegetal constellation that contrasts with the incisive precision of the black lines.
The drypoint gives the drawing a direct, material vibration, especially visible in the irregular delicacy of the strokes, while the aquatint allows the creation of blurred, luminous, and suspended color fields on the paper. The result is an image of pronounced poetic freedom, in which Miró transforms elemental signs into an imaginary universe populated by figures, stars, and ascending movements.
Copy printed on Vélin d’Arches paper, kept untrimmed, with full margins and the original deckle edges visible.
Sheet size: 502 × 325 mm.
Framed size: 60 × 64 cm.
Condition is excellent. The work shows no foxing and retains notable chromatic freshness, with pigments intense and well defined. The paper maintains a uniform tone and good structural stability.
Documented work in Patrick Cramer, Catalogue raisonné des livres illustrés, p. 460, no. 187.
A piece of notable rarity and great graphic richness, representative of Miró at his most free, lyrical, and experimental in the mid-1970s.