Joan Miro's 1936 masterpiece, Le fermier et son epouse, has sold as top lot in Sotheby's Surrealist Art auction, held yesterday (February 5) in London.

Miro abandoned his natural palette in favour of bold primary colours

The transitional piece, in which Miro introduced the bold palette that would later become characteristic of his work, sold for £5.8m ($9.1m), pushing past its £5.5m low estimate.

Another Miro work, Femme revant de l'evasion, sold at Sotheby's Impressionist and Modern Art Evening Sale for £8.4m ($13.2m), which was also held in London yesterday.

Miro's work is incredibly popular in the current market, with yet another of his masterworks set to sell as part of Christie's Art of the Surreal auction in London today (February 6).

Le fermier et son epouse was executed in 1936, a year of great significance for Miro and the development of his work. It displays Miro's love of the countryside, which is a recurring theme in his work that was first demonstrated in the 1922 work La ferme.

Bismarck was formerly married to Harrison Williams, who was once the richest man in America with an estimated fortune of $600m

Also starring at Sotheby's was Salvador Dali's arresting Portrait of Mrs Harrison Williams, which sold for £2.2m ($3.5m). The piece was created in 1943 especially for its subject, Mona Bismarck (1897-1983), an American socialite and fashion icon. It was consigned to the sale by the Mona Bismarck American Centre for Art & Culture, a philanthropic venture founded by the countess in the early 1980s.

Paul Fraser Collectibles has a fantastic Salvador Dali original sketch for sale - a remarkable drawing which is thought to depict his wife and muse, Gala, and shows his deep understanding of the human form.