Colourful, humour-filled and provocative, Joan Mirc's late painted sculpture forms a beautiful, little known group of medium and large-scale works. Mirc (1893-1983), best known for his paintings, is recognised as part of the Surrealist and Modernist canon. This elegant volume is the first ever in-depth study of his exuberant, brilliantly-painted late sculpture, fully illustrated with related and seldom-exhibited studies and sketchbooks, maquettes, documentary photographs and rare film-stills. An accessible narrative by leading scholars offers new documentation about the inspiration for and creation of the sculpture, along with fresh interpretations of its place in Mirc's work, its cultural context and its critical reception. The book accompanies an exhibition opening at the Corcoran Museum of Art, Washington, D.C. in September 2002. In January 2003 the exhibition will travel to the Salvador Dal! Museum of Art in St Petersburg, Florida, after which the sculptures will return to their permanent homes