02/01/2002
by Annalisa Rossi

Works by Joan Mirò performed exceptionally well at the close of last year, as witness the results of the Modern and Contemporary art auction held at Christie’s New York on the 6th of November 2001. Three canvases by Mirò won second, third and fourth places among the top ten sellers of the evening, with two of the paintings topping the auction record set by the artist in 1989 when Oiseau au plumage deployé hammered for $ 10,285,000 (€ 11,464,900) at Sotheby’s New York.

The auction world record for Mirò now belongs to his 1924 Portrait de Mme K which sold for $ 12,656,000 (€ 14,107,900). This large canvas (116.5 x 91 cm) was executed in an unusual technique using charcoal, coloured pastel, red and white chalk, and pencil. Two other important pieces also posted excellent results. Paysage sur les bords du fleuve Amour from 1927 was sold for $ 11,006,000 (€ 12,269,100) while Danseuse espagnole from 1924 was bought for $ 8,916,000 (€ 9,936,200). Margaret Doyle, PR manager of Christie’s New York, was satisfied with the Mirò’s success at the auction “Fresh works of art were offered on the market that were not only of high quality but also well conserved”. It must be mentioned that Portrait de Mme K had been bought by the Belgian industrialist and renowned collector René Gaffé from Max Ernst in August 1926, and such an illustrious provenance certainly helped boost the final hammer price which in the end doubled its initial estimate.

Though the interest for works by Mirò has been growing over the last couple of seasons his works may still be bought for relatively contained prices vis-à-vis their value. This opinion is shared by Alex Adelman of the Masterworks Fine Art Gallery in Kensington (California), a fine art dealer, who says “For a good investment it would be better to acquire works dated before 1945 that often carry million dollar quotes. But, because Mirò created appreciable works throughout his life, later work is worth looking out for too if one does not have the capital. A small collection can be started with an etching or an aquatint, beginning at $ 2,500-3,500 (€ 2,700-3,900) and rising to $ 20,000 (€ 22,300) for signed etchings of excellent quality.” This price range is corroborated by the auction results. Among the most recent works to be offered, the 1954 L’oiseau sur vers les pyramides was auctioned on the 8th of November 2001 for $ 2,264 (€ 2,520) at Sotheby’s in London, while earlier in the year (6th of July) Le permissionaire from 1974 fetched $ 17,690 (€ 19,720) at the same auction house.

Eleonore Austerer, of the Austerer Gallery in San Francisco that specialises in international graphic works by modern masters, otherwise suggests concentrating on lithographs to start a small collection “The prices range from a minimum of $ 1,000 (€ 1,100) for unsigned lithographs, to a maximum of $ 50,000 (€ 55,700) according to execution and the state of conservation.” Works of this kind often come up for auction and quotes are usually between $ 1,000-3,000 (€ 1,100-3,300), with the notable exception of Oda a Joan Mirò, (edition 20/75), a signed lithograph from 1973 that fetched an impressive $ 52,400 (€ 58,400) at Sotheby’s London in July 2001.

Whatever the technique used or the period of execution, all the experts interviewed agree that Mirò has been stable on the market over time to the extent that he may be considered a blue chip in the art world.