Set among Montjuïc's gardens and in a magnificent rationalist building, the Fundació Joan Miró has an impressive collection of works by the Catalan painter on display.
An avant-garde centre
The Fundació Joan Miró in Parc de Montjuïc is one of Barcelona’s most prestigious artistic centres. It is housed in one of the most interesting buildings in the city, architecturally speaking. Designed by the architect Josep Lluís Sert, a close friend of Miró, it was conceived as an open space with indoor and outdoor terraces that allow visitors to circulate freely.
The legacy of a painting genius
The origins of the Miró Foundation date back to 1968, when the painter held his first big exhibition in Barcelona, which was at the old Hospital de la Santa Creu. After that, the cultural society of the time saw the need to create a space that could exhibit Miró’s work in the way it deserved. In line with the artist’s wishes, it was built as a space that would exhibit not only his work but also contemporary art in all its different facets.
The Miró Foundation was Barcelona’s first contemporary art museum. It marked a break and a turn to the avant-garde that it maintains today, as the depository of the works Miró gave to Barcelona and as a centre for popularising contemporary art.
