Joan Miró (1893–1983) was a Catalan painter, sculptor and printmaker whose distinctive visual language explored dreams, memory and the unconscious with a sense of childlike wonder. He studied art in Barcelona before moving between Spain and Paris, where his contact with Surrealist artists and writers encouraged his interest in automatism and the subconscious. Miró transformed recognizable figures, landscapes and objects into biomorphic shapes, floating signs and energetic lines, often using brilliant primary colors against spare backgrounds. Although closely associated with Surrealism, Miró resisted identification with a single movement. His experiments with abstraction, spontaneous mark-making and unconventional materials influenced later generations, particularly Abstract Expressionists in the United States. He also worked extensively in ceramics and sculpture, creating monumental works for public spaces that brought his playful visual vocabulary into everyday life. One of the most influential artists of 20th century modernism, Miró is represented in major collections worldwide, including the Museum of Modern Art, Tate and the National Gallery of Art.