Joan Miro The Ladder of Escape. This item is unavailable.Joan Miro The Ladder of Escape

Joan Miro s paintings are among the most widely recognized of any modern artist, reproduced everywhere from books to T-shirts to posters. While he is most often seen as a surrealist or a postwar abstract painter, terms he rejected, this book brings new insights into Miro s work by framing it in the context of the turbulent times in which he lived.Miro s contemporary Picasso left Spain, promising never to return under a Fascist government. In contrast, Miro chose internal exile, removing himself to the island of Mallorca, a decision that has led to him being viewed as a less political artist. This book challenges that impression by focusing on Miro s politically engaged works, from the rural, anarchist tradition and strong Catalan nationalism reflected in early paintings like The Farm and Head of a Catalan Peasant to the triptych The Hope of a Condemned Man (1974) through which he publicly declared his opposition to Franco.Drawing on new scholarship from an international group of experts, the book accompanies the first exhibition in nearly half a century to show work from throughout Miro s career. It sheds new light on the life and achievements of one of the greatest artists of the twentieth century.