Joan Gardy Artigas - original vintage lithograph - c1982

This is an absolutely stunning original (not an offset print) vintage lithograph by Joan Gardy Artigas. The lithograph is produced on high quality paper and was published in 1982 by Derrière le Miroir, in their volume No. 250 entitled 'Hommage a Marguerite et Aime Maeght'. Our photo is good but does not come close to capturing the full beauty of the colours - lithography at its best (please scroll down for an explanation of the lithographic process and for a biography of the artist).

The lithograph has never been framed. It has been stored in appropriate conditions as part of a serious private collection. It was acquired when published and has not changed hands since.

This lithograph would sell for around £650, and often more, in London galleries, which makes our price incredibly good value, especially since it is an opportunity to acquire the lithograph from one original owner. Please see our other items for more vintage lithographs.

This beautiful lithograph comes from the private collection of Stephen Baring. The collection comprises two inherited collections plus twenty five years of personal collecting.

BIOGRAPHY
Joan Gardy Artigas (1938- ) is a Catalan artist and ceramicist, who collaborated closely with Joan Miro. His father was Josep Llorens Artigas who worked closely with Miró and Pablo Picasso. Artigas was able to work for Miró, whilst still a teenager, because of his father's relationship with Miró. Artigas trained at the École des Beaux Arts in Paris where he met the Swiss sculptor Alberto Giacometti. Artigas established his own studio where at Giacometti's suggestion he concentrated on sculpture, and supplied his expertise to the cubists Georges Braque and Marc Chagall.

When Artigas created the 7,200 tiles for the Miró Wall he coloured the tiles based on an image which Miró had created. The artwork includes the signatures of both artists. Artigas was later called to return to assisting Miró when his father decided to retire. Artigas worked with Miró for twenty years creating other similar sized murals including examples for UNESCO, IBM and the Palacio de Exposiciones y Congresos in Madrid. Artigas worked with Miró on, Dona i Ocell, one of his last large works which was covered in broken tiles by Artigas. In 1982 Antoni Tàpies won the Gold Medal of Catalonia for a mosaic in the Plaça de Catalunya in Sant Boi de Llobregat. Artigas had constructed the ceramics for this prize winning exhibit. Artigas continued his own art and he was awarded his first solo exhibition in America in 1982. He has been a visiting artist at two American universities and he has founded a foundation to celebrate his father's work. Gardy-Artigas serves on the board of the foundation Fundació Joan Miró in Barcelona.

LITHOGRAPHY
A lithograph is not just a cheap mass produced print. The process dates from 1796 and is far more complicated and therefore valuable. Lithography is a method for printing using a stone (lithographic limestone) or a metal plate with a completely smooth surface. Invented in 1796 by German author and actor Alois Senefelder as a method of publishing theatrical works, lithography can be used to print text or artwork onto paper or other suitable material.

Lithography originally used an image drawn (etched) into a coating of wax or an oily substance applied to a plate of lithographic stone as the medium to transfer ink to a blank paper sheet, and so produce a printed page. In modern lithography, the image is made of a polymer coating applied to a flexible aluminium plate. To print an image lithographically, the flat surface of the stone plate is roughened slightly etched and divided into hydrophilic regions that accept a film of water, and thereby repel the greasy ink; and hydrophobic regions that repel water and accept ink because the surface tension is greater on the greasy image area, which remains dry. The image can be printed directly from the plate (the orientation of the image is reversed), or it can be offset, by transferring the image onto a flexible sheet (rubber) for printing and publication.

A beautiful and valuable lithograph that will be much admired framed in your home or office. Will provide an excellent financial investment as well as a possession to enjoy. You are welcome to return for a full refund if you are not entirely happy. Also, please feel free to view at our central London showroom.