Catalan painter, sculptor, and ceramicist. Joan Miro (1883-1983) was painter, sculptor, and ceramicist and a seminal figure in 20th-century avant-garde painting. The artist first studied commerce before defying his parents and enrolling in the art academy in his hometown. In 1919, Miró moved to Paris where he fell into the Surrealist milieu, befriending André Breton, Max Ernst, Jean Arp, and André Masson. Miró’s work profoundly influenced several American painters, including Arshile Gorky and Mark Rothko. The artist died at age 90 on December 25, 1983 in Palma de Mallorca, Spain. Widely considered one of the leading Surrealists (though he was never officially part of the group), he was also a pioneer of automatism: a method of spontaneous drawing that attempted to express the inner workings of the human psyche. Miró used color and form in a symbolic manner, developing intricate compositions and a wandering linear style that combined abstract elements with recurring motifs such as birds, eyes, and the moon.His piece “World Trade Center Tapestry” was one of the most expensive works lost in 9/11.