Joan MiróSpanish, 1893–1983The Kerosene Lamp
Can I see it?
Not on view at present
Where is “The Kerosene Lamp” now? Collection: Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago. Not on view at present. Checked September 29, 2026.
Chicago, United States
It belongs to the collection, but is not on display at present.
- Checked
- In this state since
- Source
- The museum
About the work
The Spanish artist Joan Miró was one of the leading exponents of Surrealism. His drawing The Kerosene Lamp has often been interpreted as autobiographical—a view of the artist's studio—but the elements of his work are intended to be suggestive rather than specific in meaning.
Art Institute of ChicagoCC BY 4.0
Details
- Accession number
- 1978.312
In the catalog
Sources
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Image: Art Institute of Chicago — © the artist or rights holder
In the life of Joan Miró
The whole life1924
Joins the Surrealist circle
Miró joined the Surrealist circle, whose dream-like automatism suited his symbolic and poetic art, but chose not to become an official member so as to experiment freely; Breton called him “the most Surrealist of us all”.
1925
Friendship with Robert Desnos
Miró became friends with the poet Robert Desnos; they soon planned a livre d'artiste together, but the Spanish Civil War and World War II put the plans on hold. Desnos died in 1945, shortly after his release from the concentration camps.
second half of the 1920s
A language of signs and ideograms
In “Person Throwing a Stone at a Bird” and “Dog Barking at the Moon” (both 1926) a set of recurrent ideograms took shape: symbols of space — horizon, waves, heavenly bodies — and “mediating symbols” — birds, a ladder to the sky, an eye, an ear, a figure with giant feet.
1926
Designs for Diaghilev with Max Ernst
Miró collaborated with Max Ernst on designs for the ballet impresario Sergei Diaghilev.
