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Miró at Tate Modern – and a giveaway!

I really enjoyed taking a slow wander around Tate Modern’s Joan Miró exhibition this week. Galleries often describe their exhibitions as a ‘must-see’ but for me, this show really was. I’ve always loved the deep, powerful colours of Miró’s paintings  and I’m endlessly intrigued by his spidery, fantastical shapes and symbols, so it’s no wonder that this exhibition has been in my calendar for a while.

This is a very comprehensive retrospective, bringing together more than 150 paintings, drawings, sculptures and prints from moments across the six decades of Miró’s career. Interestingly, it also traces the more politically engaged aspects of his work, tracing the development of his artistic practice in relation to political and social upheaval during the Spanish Civil War, the Second World War and in Franco’s Spain.  In a more straightforward way, however, this work is also a great pleasure simply to explore and experience: for me, the especial highlights were the incredible black and white Barcelona Series, but also the meditative, colour-saturated Bleu triptych.

Miró is at Tate Modern until 11 September 2011.

Giveaway!

To celebrate this exhibition at Tate Modern, I’m excited to have a lovely Tate Miró calendar to give away courtesy of Flame Tree Publishing, as well as a beautiful calendar from Tate’s Watercolour exhibition over at Tate Britain, which I blogged about back here.

If you’d like to enter the giveaway to win one of the calendars, simply leave me a comment at the end of this post to tell me what exhibition, event or other cultural happening coming up in the next few months you’ll be putting in your calendar.

As well as telling me what cultural highlight is your ‘must-see’, don’t forget to include whether you would prefer the Watercolour or the Miró calendar. From all the comments, two whinners will be selected at random – each will receive one of the two calendars.

The closing date for the giveaway is Friday 24 June. I’m looking forward to hearing your suggestions!

[Image: Joan Miró The Escape Ladder 1940. Museum of Modern Art, New York © Joan Miró and Fundació Joan Miró, Barcelona, via Tate]

6 Comments on Miró at Tate Modern – and a giveaway!

  1. Benjamin Judge
    June 17, 2011 at 5:25 pm (13 years ago)

    Hello there.

    At the risk of upsetting you London types, the cultural ‘thing’ in my diary (several times) is the Manchester International Festival.

    I would be interesting in winning the Miro calendar, because he does squiggles well.

    Reply
  2. Katherine Woodfine
    June 17, 2011 at 6:14 pm (13 years ago)

    Hi Ben, thanks for getting the ball rolling!

    Just to note that Manchester (and other, non-London) cultural events are of course most welcome – MIF is most definitely in my calendar too.

    What are you planning to see? I quite fancy the Dr Dee opera and 11 Rooms. And anything with Victoria Wood has got to be good…

    Reply
  3. Kate
    June 17, 2011 at 8:07 pm (13 years ago)

    I am putting some work myself into Cambewell arts festival tomorrow, also following that up with a visit to the Summer Exhibition at the Royal Academy. I go every year with my dad for Fathers day so its always fixed in my calendar :)

    Reply
  4. Allie
    June 18, 2011 at 5:34 pm (13 years ago)

    Funnily enough it is the Rene Magritte exhibition at the Liverpool Tate 24 June – 16 October. The last time I saw his work all together was when I lived in London (I think at the Hayward)some 10 years ago or so now.

    Incidentally I visited Miro’s house & studio on Mallorca a couple of years back, so the calendar would remind me of a wonderful afternoon soaking up the atmosphere in his garden.

    Oh & PS. I’m going to see Victoria Wood’s The Day We Sang. Hope you make it up here ;o)

    Reply
  5. SamJ
    June 24, 2011 at 10:10 am (13 years ago)

    I’m going to the RA Summer Exhibition to see what beat me, I submitted a piece which got rejected. Plus I have to collect my rejected piece soon as from this Saturday they’ll start charging me £15 a week just to have lying there, rejected, whilst someone occasionally points and laughs.

    Reply
  6. Katherine Woodfine
    June 25, 2011 at 8:47 am (13 years ago)

    Thanks everyone! Some great suggestions… giveaway is now closed but stay tuned for the winners!

    Reply

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