Dona i Ocell (Woman and Bird) is the last monumental masterpiece produced by Joan Miró. It was inaugurated in 1983, but did not see the author present due to a serious health condition at the time that would lead within the following months to his death at the age of 90.
The sculpture, measuring 21 metres in height recalls a phallic shape, however the presence of a black vertical incision allows us to perceive the clear reference to womanhood. The original title was “Dona-bolet amb barret de lluna” (Lady-Mushroom with a Moon Hat). In actual fact, the feminine figure appears to crowned by a hat finished off with a crescent moon.
This is one of Miró’s representation of a bird, a creature that is bond between the earth and the stars. Coloured ceramics were adopted for its making in particular, yellow, red, green and blue fragments executed by the ceramist Joan Gardy Artigas.
Dona i Ocell was one of the first works of art to be displayed publically in Barcelona during the democratic wave. Erected in the Joan Miró Park (formerly known as Escorxador) at the feet of an immense artificial lake. Within this context Miró realized a strikingly huge piece for the new park on the grounds were a large slaughterhouse once stood.
The sculpture is reflected in a pond blending in with its surrounding in that park of Barcelona dedicated to Joan Miró.