Joan Miró Foundation, Barcelona

The Joan Miró Foundation (Catalan: Fundació Joan Miró) is an art museum in Barcelona that holds and presents an outstanding collection of works by Catalan artist Joan Miró (1893-1983).

Located in the Parc de Montjuïc, the Foundation has been housed in an interesting building designed by Catalan architect Josep Lluís Sert—also the architect of the Maeght Foundation building in Saint-Paul-de-Vence, France—in a characteristic “Mediterranean-modern” style since 1975.

The Foundation, whose mission is mainly to present Joan Miró’s work, also promotes modern and contemporary art through special exhibitions, conferences, and workshops.

The Foundation’s collection of paintings, sculptures, and works on paper is one of the world’s largest and most comprehensive dedicated to Miró and covers all his artistic periods. The permanent exhibition is divided into eight interconnected sections, which give the visitors a complete overview of the career of one of the most influential artists of the 20th century.

“Terra” (Earth); “Més enllà de la pintura“ (Beyond painting); “Violència – evasió” (Violence – escape); “Anonimat” (Anonymity); “Poesia i silenci” (Poetry and silence); “Anti-Painting” (Anti-painting); “Sobreteixims” (Patches) and “Art i quotidianitat” (Art and everyday life) illustrate the key concepts of Miró’s vision and work, and his will to transcend figurative painting.

Most of the works on view at the Mirò Foundation were donated by the artist himself in 1975; others are donations or long-term loans by Mirò’s wife and family, while others are on loan from private and public collections.
The foundation also holds a small collection of works by other artists, including Alexander Calder, Marcel Duchamp, and Antoni Tàpies.

The Foundation’s building, fully accessible to physically impaired people, also accommodates a library, a gift shop, a bookshop, and a cafe-restaurant.

Fundació Joan Miró, aerial view, courtesy Fundació Joan Miró

Fundació Joan Miró, main entrance, courtesy Fundació Joan Miró

Fundació Joan Miró, interior view, courtesy Fundació Joan Miró

Fundació Joan Miró, installation view, courtesy Fundació Joan Miró

Fundació Joan Miró, roof terrace, photo Jaime Silva (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0) via Flickr.

Cover image, a photo of the celebration for the 40th anniversary of the Joan Miró Foundation. Photo courtesy of Fundació Joan Miró