Press Event: Joan Mir??: The Ladder of Escape

Description

Celebrated as one of the greatest modern artists, Joan Mir?? (1893?1983) developed a visual language that reflected his vision and energy in a variety of styles across many media. On view at the National Gallery of Art, Washington, East Building, from May 6 to August 12, 2012, ‘Joan Mir??: The Ladder of Escape’ reveals the politically engaged side of Mir?? through some 120 paintings and works on paper that span his entire career. They reflect the artist’s passionate response to one of the most turbulent periods in European history that included two world wars, the Spanish Civil War, and the decades-long dictatorship of Francisco Franco. Through it all, Mir?? maintained a fierce devotion to his native Catalonia, a region in northern Spain.