
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.
© Successió Miró S.L. / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, Paris
Image downloads are for educational use only. For all other purposes, please see our Obtaining and Using Images page.

© Successió Miró S.L. / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, Paris
Image downloads are for educational use only. For all other purposes, please see our Obtaining and Using Images page.

© Successió Miró S.L. / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, Paris
Image downloads are for educational use only. For all other purposes, please see our Obtaining and Using Images page.



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
Provenance
Mrs. Alexina Matisse (formerly Mrs. Marcel Duchamp);Sidney Janis Gallery;
sold to Seymour H. Knox for the Albright Art Gallery, 1958
Class
Work Type
This 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
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Other Works by This Artist
Dwelling Places of Sleep
,Gravures pour une exposition (Engravings for an Exposition)
,- Le Jour (Day) ,
- Femme assise (Seated Woman) ,
- Head in the Night ,
- Carnaval d'Arlequin (Carnival of Harlequin) ,
Untitled from the portfolio Gravures pour une exposition (Engravings for an Exposition)
,Untitled from the portfolio Gravures pour une exposition (Engravings for an Exposition)
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,Untitled from the portfolio Gravures pour une exposition (Engravings for an Exposition)
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,Exposition á la Galerie Matarasso
,- Figure and Bird ,
The Awakening of the Giant
,- The Sun Eater ,
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but we're working on itUntitled
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Animals
Surrealism
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but we're working on it