Christie’s announces the sale of 85 works by Joan Miró at Christie’s during the Surrealism evening sale and following day sales. The collection comes from Portugal where it was put together privately but is now being sold by decision of the Portuguese government:

Most often associated with Surrealism, Miró’s work has an appeal that transcends traditional categories, with today’s market seeing collectors of both Impressionist & Modern Art and Post-War & Contemporary Art compete for his paintings, works on paper and sculptures. The property was formerly in a private corporate collection and is now being sold by decision of the Portuguese Republic.

Highlighting Miró’s incredible ability to innovate, the works feature a wide range of materials and techniques as well as his key themes and subjects, from poetry and dreams to music and stars, women and birds. He was an artist who allowed himself to be influenced by a range of things, from music, poetry and then hallucinations induced by hunger during his early years in Paris, to patterns made by chance, to the materials themselves. The two top lots are Femmes et oiseaux (Women and Birds), 1968 (estimate: £4-7 million, illustrated above, second row, far left) and Painting, 1953, a monumental oil on canvas measuring 22 ½ x 196 ⅞ in. (57 x 500 cm.) (estimate: £2.5-3.5 million).

With estimates ranging from £10,000 to £7 million, this collection provides collectors at every level with a remarkable opportunity to not only add key works to established collections but for new collectors and enthusiasts to buy their very first work from Miró’s rich oeuvre. The complete collection is expected to realise in excess of £30 million.

Feb- Miro Seven Decades of His Art (Christie’s Press Release)