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

Joan Miró Ferrà
L’Issue dérobée, 1974
Original copperplate print in mixed technique — drypoint and color aquatint —.
Print made in Paris in 1974 within the graphic project conceived by Joan Miró for L’Issue dérobée, with text by poet Jacques Dupin. The work is signed in pencil by the artist on the recto and marked “H.C.” —hors-commerce— in the lower left corner.
It is an hors-commerce impression belonging to a very small edition of only 20 H.C. copies, a circumstance that makes it a particularly scarce piece on the market.
The composition clearly reflects the language of mature Miró: a lattice of free black lines and graphic constellations that traverse the space with spontaneity, balanced by a powerful central chromatic core in orange, yellow and purple. The drypoint provides an incisive and matte vibration, while the color aquatint introduces depth and luminosity.
Untrimmed sheet, with full margins and visible original burrs, printed on Arches Vélin paper.
Sheet measurements: 502 × 325 mm.
Framed measurements: 70 × 59 cm.
Excellent condition: shows no foxing and maintains outstanding sharpness and chromatic freshness. The paper preserves its uniform tone and structural stability. It is presented in a vintage frame from the 70s–80s, in good condition.
The work proceeds directly from the private collection of a historic French gallery owner, a figure linked to the international art circuit of the second half of the 20th century and directly related to artists of the stature of Pablo Picasso and Joan Miró. This provenance adds especially significant context to the piece, both for its proximity to the artistic milieu of the time and for the quality of the original collection.
For discretion and privacy reasons, the full identity of the gallery owner and the specific provenance details will be communicated exclusively to the final buyer.
Work documented in Patrick Cramer, Catalogue raisonné des livres illustrés, p. 460, no. 187.
A piece of great graphic force and notable rarity, representative of Miró’s most free and poetic mid-seventies.