Joan Miro
Mannequin Parade in Bahia, 1969, (M.628).
Color lithograph on wove paper.
Hand-signed and numbered at the lower margins, titled on verso.
Custom framing is available at the gallery.

Miro’s Mannequin Parade evokes ideas of display, staging, performance, and fashion. He explores the concept of mannequins, objects that imitate the human form yet remain lifeless, posed, and mediated, and considers what happens when they are placed in motion or animated through composition. The reference to “Bahia” in the title points to a Brazilian state known for its rich Afro-Brazilian culture, vibrant colors, strong contrasts of light and shadow, festive energy, and rhythmic traditions. Although Miró never lived in Bahia, invoking it may suggest a fascination with heat, movement, sensuality, and celebration. It could also reflect a sense of exoticism or a dreamlike tropical fantasy, contrasting with the more restrained European character often associated with mannequins. More broadly, the work reflects Miró’s late-period mastery of printmaking. He employs abstraction, vivid color, bold black forms, and dynamic line to create a sense of mood, rhythm, and poetic ambiguity. The result is a composition that is both playful and mysterious.

Joan Miró – Off The Wall Gallery, Houston, Texas