Miró's Magic Animals

Book excerpt: A unique look at the work of a great artist as seen through the eyes of a child As might be expected of the son of photographer Lee Miller and writer Roland Penrose, Antony Penrose’s childhood was populated with some of the greatest artists of the twentieth century. Miró’s Magic Animals is a delightful story, chronicling Antony “Tony”’s encounters with the great Spanish artist Joan Miró. Tony introduces Miró as a quiet, kind, and smartly dressed man who “dreamed when he was awake” and painted wonderfully strange worlds filled with magical animals. The book brings Tony’s memories to life with beautiful reproductions of some of Miró’s finest works, as well as evocative archival photography by Lee Miller and specially commissioned artworks in the style of Miró, painted by children. We see the renowned painter from a new perspective, as the slightly eccentric visitor to Tony’s childhood home, during an excursion to Miró’s farm—filled with extraordinary creatures—and on a trip to London Zoo, during which Miró asked to see “large birds, snakes, and strange creatures of the night.” Vibrant design and playful typography make the package as appealing as the story, and round out the feeling that we’re immersed in Tony’s adventure.