Joan Miro: 1893-1983

A Toute Epreuve is one of the finest artist's books of the twentieth century and the most ambitious creation of renowned Surrealist Joan Miro (1893-1983). After having published a facsimile of this extraordinary work in 1987, we are proud to offer it this year in paperback at an affordable price. For over ten years, Miro, the Spanish artist, and Paul Eluard, whose text was inspired by Catalan Spain, worked together to create a unique book: in their own words, a masterpiece of Plastic harmony. Printed in pure, dazzling colors, Miro's characteristic amorphous forms invite the viewer to skip from text to imagery almost interchangeably, giving marvelous new life and meaning to Eluard's poetry as well as creating a book that is in itself a sculptural entity. Its title roughly translatable as Ready for Anything, A Toute Epreuve achieves Miro's own ambition for the project, stated in 1948: I hope to create something sensational.

Softcover. English. Taschen. 1993. ISBN: 3822896497. 96 pp. Good. Book No: 61772