More than a surrealist painter, Joan Miro was “a bird in a mystical, magical realm in contact with Heaven and earth,” an alchemist in the realms of poetry and painting, and “a magician of color.”

These attributes are on display in Milan, Italy, with an exhibition titled “Joan Miro: The Force of Matter.”

Milan exhibition explores surrealist's techniques

Miro is considered one of the greatest surrealists who ever lived, with an exceptional ability to innovate, shift techniques, and experiment with new materials throughout his life. But, as his grandson explains, the Catalan artist was even more than that.

“The pillars to understand the evolution of Miro’s iconography are color, shape, and material. Miro was a magician of color. He was able to use the most expressive colors you can imagine,” said Joan Punyet Miro, grandson of the artist.

“And at the same time, what really matters to me is material because he was like an alchemist. He was a man in contact with materials.”

“So he was able to understand the magic of his support upon, which he was going to lay all the colors, and then the magic of interpretation of dreams, and the magic of surrealistic poetry. So all the pillars really emphasize the magic of Miro’s world in a very peculiar way here in Milan.”

works on dispaly at "Joan Miro. The Force of Matter" exhibtion

The collection at the MUDEC museum comprises more than 100 pieces produced from 1931 to 1981, presented in chronological order.

Most are from the Fundacio Joan Miro of Barcelona and from private collections, including Miro’s own family members. The purpose is to shed light on the artist’s journey to become one of the main protagonists of surrealism.

“For me, the man behind the magic was quite spectacular, because I could see that he was always traveling. Mentally speaking, he was flying up to the clouds and back to Earth,” Joan said.

“He was like a bird in a mystical, magical realm in which he was able to be in contact with heaven and earth, with life and death, with consciousness and subconsciousness. So Miro was like a magical creature able to really fly beneath the lines in-between poetry and painting and get the most out of each realm.”

“Joan Miro: The Force of Matter” runs from March 25 to September 11 at the MUDEC museum in Milan.