MIRO AND THE UNITED STATES: Exhibit at the Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C.

Woman and Birds at Sunrise, by Joan Miro. Exhibit at the Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C.

Dream-like figures floating in space, sinuous lines, and all over patterns are a hallmark of the art of the Catalan artist Joan Miro (1893-1983). On my recent visit to the Phillips Collection art museum in Washington, D.C. I saw a fascinating exhibit of Miro’s work—mostly paintings, but also some sculptures—showing how he was influenced by American artists like Alexander Calder and Jackson Pollock, and how they in turn were influenced by him.

Left, The First Spark of Day II by Joan Miro. Right, August, Rue Daguerre by Joan Mitchell.

Miro and the United States is co-organized by the Phillips Collection and the Fundacio Joan Miro in Barcelona, Spain. It will be on view at the Phillips from March 21 to July 5, 2026.

Detail of Somersault, an early Miro work exhibited in the US in 1926 at the Brooklyn Museum of Art.

The American public first became aware of Miro’s art beginning in the 1920s when it was shown at galleries and in Museum exhibitions in the US. 

Copy of Miro's mural in the Terrace Plaza Hotel, Cincinnati, Ohio.

But Miro’s first visit to the United States was not until 1947 when he came to paint a mural at the Terrace Plaza Hotel in Cincinnati, Ohio, a modern new hotel designed by the Chicago firm Skidmore, Owings and Merrill. A reproduction of the mural fills one large wall of the exhibit at the Phillips.

Passage of the Divine Bird by Joan Miro.

Another room of the exhibit is devoted to a series of 22 works called Constellations. In every piece we see groups of black dots joined by lines to form shapes similar to those of the Zodiac. Miro began the series when he was living and working in France in 1940. But when the Germans invaded France during WWII he escaped to Spain where he finished the series. The Constellation paintings were exhibited at his gallery in New York in 1945 to great acclaim.

Constellation series by Joan Miro.

Miro’s original Constellation paintings were done in gouache. Then in 1959, the Constellation series was reproduced as limited-edition prints using a stencil technique called couchoir. The works on exhibit are couchoir prints.

Person Throwing a Stone at a Bird, by Joan Miro.

On the day of my visit to the Phillips a class of middle school students was at the exhibit. In each room the teacher gave them an assignment. I overheard her telling the students to choose a painting without looking at the title and create their own title. I wonder what they came up with—it would be hard to beat some of the expressive titles Miro chose for his own work.

The Beautiful Bird Revealing the Unknown to a Pair of Lovers by Joan Miro.

During Miro’s visits to the United States he met many artists and also saw their work in various exhibits. In the show at the Phillips we see numerous examples of Miro’s paintings hung side by side with those of other artists, showing similarities in their choice of images and techniques. Information panels explain the connections. Alexander Calder and Miro became friends after meeting in Paris in 1928, and continued to exchange letters and ideas through the rest of their lives. You can see similarities between Miro's thin black lines and the wires that support Calder's sculptures. One critic said, “Calder’s mobiles are like living Miro abstractions.” 

Red Polygons by Alexander Calder is one of two his mobiles in the exhibit.

Jackson Pollack, the American painter famous for his "drip" paintings, also influenced Miro and has several paintings in the exhibit. In 1952, when Miro first saw Jackson Pollock’s paintings in Paris, he said “It freed me.” Some of the other artists influenced by Miro and represented in the exhibit include Joan Mitchell, Adolph Gottlieb, Barnett Newman, Norman Lewis,  Grace Hartigan, Willem de Kooning.

Left, Vigil by Adolph Gottlieb. Right, detail, Eyes in the Heat by Jackson Pollock.

Head by Joan Miro.

A few examples of Miro’s sculptures are included in the exhibit as well as those of several American sculptors—all displaying an imaginative approach to the world and the human figure.

Red Sun by Joan Miro.

In January 2015 I wrote about a visit to another Miro exhibit which was held at the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University in North Carolina. At the time, the museum also had an exhibit of the art of Robert Rauschenberg. I wrote: “In both exhibits the viewer is asked to consider similar questions—What is art? What is the meaning of art? How do we see? What is my relationship to this piece of art.? In the current exhibit at the Phillips museum, I think one can ask the same questions as one considers Miro’s art and that of the American artists impacted by his work and who influenced him.

After viewing the Miro exhibit, my friend and I enjoyed a tasty lunch in the museum café on the first floor. It is adjacent to the excellent gift shop. Both the café and gift shop are open to the public, although one needs to buy a ticket to visit the galleries. I always enjoy visiting the Phillips Collection when I am in Washington, DC. Here are links to posts about previous visits.

May 19, 2019  THE PHILLIPS COLLECTION, Washington, D.C., Part 1: America's First Museum of Modern Art

March 9, 2020  THE PHILLIPS COLLECTION, Washington, D.C., Part 2:  What Do You Hang Over the Fireplace?

October 21, 2024   A TREASURE HOUSE OF MODERN ART, The Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C. 

October 28, 2024   WHAT TO HANG OVER THE FIREPLACE, A Visit to the Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C.

AVILA ADOBE AT OLVERA STREET: The Oldest House in Los Angeles

Avila Adobe, Olvera Street, Los Angeles, CA

During the Christmas holidays we had guests at our house in Los Angeles, which inspired a round of visits to the city’s famous tourist spots. One day we went downtown to Olvera street, to eat lunch in one of the several restaurants that line this short street, and to get a glimpse into Los Angeles’s Spanish heritage.

While eating our lunch on the restaurant's outdoor patio, we were serenaded by a mariachi band.

After a delicious lunch of chicken mole, chili rellenos, and other popular Mexican foods, we browsed the shops and souvenir stands before visiting the Avila Adobe, a house built in 1818 by the Avila family. This was the town house of a prosperous local ranching family. The Avila family lived in the house until 1868. After that it had a number of uses including headquarters for the Commodore Robert F. Stockton during the Mexican-American war, as a rental to other families,  a boarding house, until it fell into disrepair and was condemned.

A child's room

 In 1930, the Avila Adobe was rescued and restored by Mrs. Christine Sterling, who also is responsible for turning Olvera Street into a Mexican style marketplace and tourist attraction. Mrs. Sterling lived in the house until 1963. The house is now part of El Pueblo De Los Angeles Historical Monument.

The family room where the family ate its regular meals. When neighbors and visitors called, they dined with the family at the big table.

The house is filled with furnishings that are similar to those that would have been there in the late 1840s when the Avila family lived there. As we toured the rooms, we got a peek at the kind of life they led. 

Early California music, singing and dancing were enjoyed at the Avila Adobe.

After a meal, guests would enjoy music.

The parlor was used to entertain important guests or for funerals.

The parlor, or sitting room, was rarely used. Exceptions included wedding receptions and baptismal celebrations. 

Ceramic nativity figures are displayed during the Christmas season.

And, because we visited during the Christmas season, a nativity scene was on display.

Visiting the Avila Adobe is free. For more information, go to www.elpueblo.lacity.org .