Valuable “first phase” Miro works on display

The Reina Sofia Museum yesterday presented 14 works acquired last year for 2'600 million pesetas, including two by Miro, valued at 1'100 million pesetas and of great artistic significance, as they complete the first phase of the artist. The director of the museum, Jose Guirao, explained that “Siurana”, a work in oils realised in l917, was painted one year before “La Casa de la Palmera”, recently acquired by the museum, and “La Mancha Roja” (1925), and belongs to a key period in the artist's career in which he changed his style. He added that the Reina Sofia possesses some 45 paintings by Miro, also sketches and sculptures, but all were executed after l925. The works from his first period are important, since they complete his first phase. Also on display at the museum are “Untitled” (1959) by Cy Twombly, bought at auction for 500 million, and the installation “Las Tumbas” (1996) by Christian Boltanski, for 20 million. This latter is considered one of the most significant works of the French artist, dedicated to the memory of three people who disappeared during the Holocaust.