Initially naive and childlike, the painter turned to Surrealism after meeting the poet André Breton, and in the 1930s decided to abandon all conventional methods and let his unbridled creativity shine through.
With over 150 paintings, drawings, sculptures and engravings, the Tate revisits the long career of the playful and versatile Catalan, a singularly free artist whose flamboyant colours still enchant the eye. Miró, who worked in Barcelona and Paris, also lived through dark periods, such as the Spanish Civil War and the beginnings of the Second World War.
Moreover, always hostile to General Franco, his abstract canvases of the late 60s and early 70s are a symbol of fierce resistance to the caudillo.
Miró. Until 11 September. Tate Modern, Bankside. www.tate.org.uk
