With his imaginative motifs, Joan Miró was an important proponent of Classic Modernism and one of the most popular artists of the 20th century. Influenced by Cubism, Fauvism, Surrealism, Dadaism and Catalan folk art, he developed his symbolic and increasingly abstract pictorial language with magic emblems for moon, stars, bird, eye and woman. The increasing two-dimensionality and colourism of his style led to his mature series 'Toiles brûlées' [Burnt Canvases], which figured a staged destruction, a protest against the commercialisation of art. In addition to his paintings, he developed numerous graphic works, (wall) ceramics and sculptures. Miró's ceramic walls adorn the UNESCO building in Paris and the Wilhelm-Hack-Museum in Ludwigshafen. His monumental sculptures can be seen on squares in Barcelona, Chicago and elsewhere.
