Illustration of the Childhood of Ubu

This whimsical color lithograph is from Joan Miro’s L’Enfance d’Ubu or Ubu’s Childhood. The work was published by Tériade in Paris in 1975. This was from a limited edition of 120 printed to Arches paper, of which this was numbered 4 on the justification page. Most of the lithographs for this work were signed in pencil by Miro.

The illustratons were inspired by the French playwright Alfred Jarry (1873-1907) and his plays Ubu Roi, Ubu Cocu, and Ubu Enchaîné. Miro felt inspired by the plays and brought childhood to life with fantastic colors, shapes, and imagination.

Joan Miro (1893-1983) was a Catalan artist that produced paintings, ceramics, sculptures, engravings, murals, and prints. His art was considered modernist and moved 20th century art toward abstraction. He is often considered an early Surrealist and also a pioneer of automatism (spontaneous drawing that reflected the inner human psyche). His visuals included expressive lines, signature symbols, and biomorphic shapes. He influenced artists including Jackson Pollock, Mark Rothko, and Barnett Newman.

Miro continued to work up until his death in 1983 and said of his later work “I painted these paintings in a frenzy, with real violence so that people will know that I am alive, that I’m breathing, that I still have a few more places to go. I’m heading in new directions.” His work has sold for upwards of eight figures at auction. His art is in the permanent collections of MOMA and the Art Institute of Chicago as well as displayed around the world in cites such as Barcelona, Paris, and Milan.