Joan Miró’s Maquette de l'arc de la Fondation Maeght is an exquisite example of the artist’s unique sculptural vision that came to define much of the second half of his life. Conceived in 1962, the present work was created as a maquette for the monumental sculpture L’Arc, 1963, an imaginative, creature-like sculpture fusing Greek and Catalan mythologies within the traditional format of the “arc de triomphe”. Miró conceived of this work specifically for Labyrinth, his extraordinary maze-like sculpture garden at the Fondation Maeght in Saint-Paul-de-Vence. Miles and Shirley Fiterman acquired the Maquette de l'arc de la Fondation Maeght through art dealers Daniel Lelong and Aimé Maeght, both of whom became close friends and guided them in developing their collection to encompass the work of such European masters as Joan Miró.

The present work not only speaks of the close relationship between the Fitermans and Aimé Maeght, it also encapsulates the deep friendship between Miró and Maeght. It was in 1964 that Aimé, together with his wife Marguerite, opened the Fondation Maeght as the first institution dedicated to contemporary art in France. Miró took on a central role in the foundation’s creation, notably recommending his friend and architect Josep Lluís Sert to develop the museum’s design. This resulted in an unprecedented opportunity for Miró to realize his ambition of placing sculpture in dialogue with its surrounding architecture and nature – resulting in his magnum opus Labyrinth, within which L’Arc takes a key position. It is a testament to Miró’s great esteem for the Maeghts that he donated a remarkable collection of his work to the Fondation, including another example of Maquette de l'arc de la Fondation Maeght.