Petworth’s Newlands House presents Joan Miró: La Gran Belleza

Spokeswoman Charlotte Wittesaele promised a survey of significant works by the pioneering modern master.

“Joan Miró: La Gran Belleza will feature artworks spanning Miró’s artistic career from the 1930s to 1980s. Presented in the historic market town of Petworth, in Newlands House’s Georgian building, Joan Miró: La Gran Belleza offers an opportunity to intimately engage with Miró’s practice in a remarkable space in the heart of the South Downs.”

“The exhibition is guest-curated by Javier Molins, a specialist in Pablo Picasso, Joan Miró and contemporary art.

“The exhibition’s title, Joan Miró: La Gran Belleza (translating to The Great Beauty), draws inspiration from Miró’s desire to explore beauty and joy in life – a commitment which led him to pursue a career in art. Spanning a combined total of 39 prints, works on paper, sculptures and a painting, the exhibition features iconic pieces, including Paris Mât (1971) and Torse (1969), as well as some lesser known works such as Homme et Femme (1977).

“Joan Miró: La Gran Belleza also marks Newlands House Gallery’s launch of the Descendants, a series of online conversations between the grandchildren and children of 20th century masters. Uncovering personal aspects of each artist as told by their descendants, the conversations will reveal alternate histories of the artists, removed from academic perspective.

“Guest speakers include the descendants of Joan Miró, Lucien Freud, Henry Moore, Eduardo Chillida and Lynn Chadwick, among others. Free to access, the conversations will take place live online the first Wednesday of every month from May to September 2021. Visitors can sign up via the Newlands House website. All footage will be made available on the Newlands House Gallery YouTube channel after the event.”

Joan Miró: La Gran Belleza has been curated in close conversation with the Miró family and Galerie Lelong Paris.

Javier Molins, guest curator at Newlands House, said: “In this exhibition we find 50 years of Miró’s output in a journey that begins with a work from 1931 and ends with a series of prints from 1981, enabling us to chart how his work evolved over the decades. We can see in this exhibition the personal universe of Miró with his unique and recognisable style that has made him one of the most important artists of the 20th century.

“My hope is that Miró’s practice, presented in the intimate setting of Newlands House, provides visitors with an optimistic antidote to the most recent lockdown in an environment that feels comfortable as we return to the world outside our own homes. Miró – having lived through crises like the Spanish Flu and Civil War – responded to hardship with calls for peace and optimism.”

Charlotte added: “Newlands House is a new gallery inspired by the historic associations of Petworth and Sussex with great artists, writers and designers from times past.

“It seeks to reinvigorate this legacy with the vitality of modern and contemporary art and design shaping contemporary culture.

“In the intimacy of a converted home, Newlands House sits at the centre of Sussex’s burgeoning cultural scene, spanning museums, art centres, festivals, vineyards, nature trails and stately homes.

“In 2020, the gallery opened to great acclaim with two inaugural exhibitions, a tribute to Helmut Newton and a survey of top works by designer, architect and artist Ron Arad.”