Femme et oiseaux dans la nuit (Woman and Birds in the Night) — Joan Miró (Spanish, 1893–1983). *Femme et oiseaux dans la nuit (Woman and Birds in Night)*, 1945. Oil on canvas, 51 x 64 inches (129.5 x 162.6 cm). Collection Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York; Gift of Seymour H. Knox, Jr., 1958 (K1958:10). © Successió Miró S.L. / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, Paris.

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Joan Miró

Spanish, 1893-1983

Femme et oiseaux dans la nuit (Woman and Birds in the Night), 1945

oil on canvas

support: 51 x 64 inches (129.54 x 162.56 cm)

Collection Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo, New York

Gift of Seymour H. Knox, Jr., 1958

K1958:10

More Details

Inscriptions

signature / back / Miro/8-3-45

inscription / back / femme et oiseaux dans/ la nuit

Provenance

Mrs. Alexina Matisse (formerly Mrs. Marcel Duchamp);
Sidney Janis Gallery;
sold to Seymour H. Knox for the Albright Art Gallery, 1958

Class

Paintings

Work Type

Oil painting

Information may change due to ongoing research.Glossary of Terms

This painting contains three of Joan Miró’s favorite subjects: night, women, and birds. For Miró, a nocturnal theme provided a simultaneous sense of comfort and fear. While the night is quiet and calm, many unknowns can lurk in the darkness. He felt that this inherent uncertainty allows us to be more in tune with our imaginations and subconscious thoughts. Female figures predominate Miró’s night scenes. These women are often accompanied by birds, which Miró believed served as intermediaries between the celestial (sky) and terrestrial (human). Here, the artist executed such compositional elements in a precise manner, and they are accompanied with gestural interventions of paint. His bright color palette becomes subordinate to the linear character of the work, which is further emphasized by the abundance of white ground. The result is a striking balance between spontaneity and control.

Label from Menagerie: Animals on View, March 11–June 4, 2017