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The Caress of a Bird

The Caress of a Bird is a painted, surrealist bronze sculpture by Joan Miró, created in 1967 in his studio in Cala Major, a suburb of Palma de Mallorca. It is now housed in the Miró Museum in Barcelona. The work measures 3.11 meters high, 1.11 meters wide, and 38 centimeters deep. It depicts a highly abstracted woman assembled from found objects later cast in bronze and painted. Her head is a straw hat for an donkey, her torso is a toilet seat, and her legs are an ironing board. The back features two small footballs as buttocks, while a turtle shell symbolizes the vulva. A bird, possibly also a woman’s hat, sits on her head.

The Caress of a Bird sculpture with stacked colorful abstract shapes on a green pillar.
The Caress of a Bird, a colorful abstract sculpture at the Joan Miró Foundation in Barcelona.
© · CC BY-SA 3.0
The Caress of a Bird, a tall abstract sculpture with stacked green, red, yellow, and blue forms.
The Caress of a Bird features stacked colorful abstract shapes rising into a tall sculpture.
October 2011 © · CC BY-SA 3.0
The Caress of a Bird abstract sculpture with stacked colorful shapes, including a green column, yellow circle, red triangle, and red heart-like form.
The Caress of a Bird, a colorful abstract sculpture at the Joan Miró Museum in Barcelona.
© · CC BY-SA 3.0
The Caress of a Bird sculpture with stacked green, red, and yellow shapes topped by a small blue bird in a courtyard.
The Caress of a Bird stands in a paved courtyard at the Fundació Miró in Barcelona.
November 2014 © · CC BY-SA 4.0
The Caress of a Bird sculpture with stacked brightly colored shapes in a garden setting.
The Caress of a Bird by Joan Miró, shown outdoors among trees and landscaped hedges.
2009 © · CC BY 3.0

Identification

TitleThe Caress of a Bird
Typesculpture
French titleLa Caresse d'un oiseau

Historical context

StyleSurrealist

Creator

ArtistJoan Miró
Year created1967

Discovery and provenance

Created inhis studio in Cala Major, a suburb of Palma de Mallorca
Originbased on Miró's early object-sculptures made in Mont-roig del Camp with found objects
Historical contextdeveloped during the Second World War, when Miró was isolated in Mont-roig del Camp and cut off from the art world, galleries, museums, and exhibitions

Physical characteristics

Dimensions3.11 metres high, 1.11 metres wide, 38 centimetres deep
Forma highly abstracted woman

Materials

Materialpainted bronze

Technique

Construction methodmade from found objects cast in bronze
Creation processthe found objects were initially not placed in the correct position, and Miró rigorously assessed their placement during creation

Appearance

Top elementa bird atop the woman's head, possibly also a ladies' hat
Surface treatmentpainted with bright colors
Torso and legsan outhouse seat and an ironing board
Genital elementa tortoise shell representing female genitalia
Back elementstwo miniature footballs representing the buttocks
Head elementa straw hat placed on a donkey's head

Iconography and meaning

Interpretationcompared to a totem of female sexuality
Found-object traditionan assembly sculpture using easily identifiable found objects, transformed into something new while retaining their original forms
Quotation"When I take a stone, it is just a stone. When Miró grabs a stone, it is a Miró."
Interpretive implicationthe quote suggests Miró transformed ordinary found materials into something distinctly his own

Location and ownership

Current locationMiró Museum, Barcelona

History and restoration

Original versionan object sculpture made in Mont-roig del Camp from found materials
Condition of original versionby the mid-1960s it was deteriorating
Bronze versionrecreated in bronze in Paris in the mid-1960s
Artist involvement in bronze versionMiró supervised the texture and controlled the patina
PatinaMiró considered the patina very important

Other

Associated personJoan Prats, Miró's lifelong friend and collaborator