PARIS.- Three previously unknown works on paper by the Spanish master Joan Miró have come to light in Nice and will soon appear on the market for the first time. The drawings, which had been quietly preserved for decades in the studio of artist and industrial designer Edmond Vernassa, will be offered at auction in Antibes on April 19, 2026, after being presented to the public in Paris during Drawing Week.

The rediscovery adds a fascinating chapter to Miró’s long relationship with the French Riviera and with the influential art dealers Aimé Maeght and Marguerite Maeght, two of the most important champions of modern art in postwar Europe.

A discovery in a forgotten studio archive

The works surfaced unexpectedly while specialists were examining the former studio of Edmond Vernassa, a Nice-based plastic artist and industrial innovator known for running the Plexiglas workshop Plexi-Azur on the Port of Nice.

Auctioneer Guillaume Mermoz recalled the moment the drawings were rediscovered after being stored away for decades.

While visiting Vernassa’s former apartment, he noticed a carefully preserved framed drawing signed by Miró. The find sparked curiosity among the heirs, who remembered an old cardboard tube that had been kept in the studio but never opened in many years. Inside were two enormous rolled drawings.

Unfurling them became a memorable moment.

According to Mermoz, the identity of the artist was unmistakable the moment the lines appeared. The sweeping marks and constellation-like forms were immediately recognizable as Miró’s unmistakable visual language.

Monumental designs created for the Maeghts

The centerpiece of the group consists of two monumental panoramic drawings created in 1971. Each measures nearly nine feet long, an unusually large scale for works on paper.

Both drawings were conceived as designs for a balcony railing in the Paris apartment of Aimé and Marguerite Maeght, located on Avenue Élisée Reclus in the city’s 7th arrondissement. The couple reportedly commissioned Miró to create the design and then asked Vernassa to fabricate the final structure in Plexiglas.

The compositions—executed in India ink, colored paper collage, graphite, and touches of white paint—were pinned to the walls of Vernassa’s studio as working models while he prepared the Plexiglas realization. Small pinholes still visible along the edges suggest how the drawings once hung during the fabrication process.

Each of the panoramic works carries an estimate of €200,000 to €400,000.

A Mallorca sun that traveled across Europe

The third work in the group is much smaller but equally intriguing. The double-sided drawing, dated 1972, was created for a promotional campaign encouraging tourism to the island of Mallorca.

Titled Le Soleil, Mallorca, the work features Miró’s radiant sun motif surrounded by circular forms and stars. The image became widely known when it was reproduced on approximately 100,000 posters distributed throughout Europe in the 1970s.

Miró later modified the design, simplifying it with white gouache and cutting the paper into an oval format before giving it to Vernassa. The drawing will be offered at auction with an estimate of €30,000 to €50,000.

A Riviera circle of artists and patrons

The discovery highlights the creative network that flourished on the French Riviera during the mid-20th century. Vernassa moved within a circle that included Miró and the Maeghts as well as other prominent figures such as Marc Chagall and Alexander Calder.

At the center of that network was the Maeght family’s influential cultural project, the Fondation Maeght, which opened in 1964 and became one of the leading venues for modern art in Europe.

Miró himself contributed several major works to the foundation, including the celebrated Miró Labyrinth.

Works that reveal Miró’s creative process

Beyond their rarity, the drawings offer insight into Miró’s working methods. Although often viewed as finished artworks, many of his works on paper functioned as conceptual blueprints for larger architectural or sculptural projects.

Miró once summarized his artistic philosophy in simple terms: the pursuit of freedom meant the pursuit of simplicity. Sometimes, he said, a single line and a single color were enough to make a painting.

These newly rediscovered drawings capture that philosophy in action. From bold sweeping lines to playful constellations of shapes, they reveal the artist testing ideas on paper before translating them into larger forms.

Their upcoming appearance on the market is likely to attract strong interest from collectors, not only because the works have never before been offered publicly, but also because they illuminate the creative exchanges that shaped the Riviera’s vibrant postwar art scene.

Before heading to the auction block in Antibes, the drawings will be shown in Paris during Drawing Week from March 25 to 30, offering the public a rare opportunity to see the rediscovered Miró works together for the first time.