Fundació Joan Miró
Encyclopedia
The is a museum of modern art
honoring Joan Miró
and located on the hill called Montjuïc
in Barcelona
, Catalonia
.
. Miró wanted to create a new building that would encourage particularly younger artists to experiment with contemporary art. The building was designed by Josep Lluís Sert
to ensure that this work could also be made available to the public and exhibited. He designed the building with courtyards and terraces and to create a natural path for visitors to move through the building.
Building began on the mountain of Montjuïc
and the foundation opened on 10 June 1975. Not only was the architect a close friend of Miro but so was the first president Joaquim Gomis and Miro was amongst the first board. It was claimed that the new foundation represented a new way of viewing the concept of a museum and how the people of Barcelona could relate to their cultural heritage.
Expansion in 1986 to the building added an auditorium and a library which holds some of the 10,000 items in the Foundation and Miro's collection.
, Chillida , Rene Magritte
, Rothko , Tapies and Saura. The collection includes Alexander Calder
's 4 Wings and Mercury Fountain. The Mercury Fountain is a fountain that uses the liquid metal mercury to create a fountain. As mercury is poisonous the fountain is kept behild glass to protect the visitors.
The museum uses QRpedia
to allow visitors to read Wikipedia articles about objects in the collection, translated into their preferred language.
Modern art
Modern art includes artistic works produced during the period extending roughly from the 1860s to the 1970s, and denotes the style and philosophy of the art produced during that era. The term is usually associated with art in which the traditions of the past have been thrown aside in a spirit of...
honoring Joan Miró
Joan Miró
Joan Miró i Ferrà was a Spanish Catalan painter, sculptor, and ceramicist born in Barcelona.Earning international acclaim, his work has been interpreted as Surrealism, a sandbox for the subconscious mind, a re-creation of the childlike, and a manifestation of Catalan pride...
and located on the hill called Montjuïc
Montjuïc
Montjuïc is a hill located in Barcelona, Catalonia.-Etymology:Montjuïc is translated as 'Jew Hill' in medieval Catalan, or is perhaps related to the Latin phrase Mons Jovicus . The name is found in several locations in the Catalan Countries: the Catalan cities of Girona and Barcelona both have a...
in Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
, Catalonia
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
.
History
The idea for the foundation was made in 1968 by Joan Miró. Miró formed the foundation with his friend Joan PratsJoan Prats
Joan Prats was a Catalan art promoter and a close friend of Joan Miro-Life:Joan Prats was born in 1891 to a family who sold hats...
. Miró wanted to create a new building that would encourage particularly younger artists to experiment with contemporary art. The building was designed by Josep Lluís Sert
Josep Lluís Sert
Josep Lluís Sert i López was a Spanish Catalan architect and city planner.- Biography :Born in Barcelona, he showed keen interest in the works of his painter uncle Josep Maria Sert and of Gaudí. He studied architecture at the Escola Superior d'Arquitectura in Barcelona and set up his own studio...
to ensure that this work could also be made available to the public and exhibited. He designed the building with courtyards and terraces and to create a natural path for visitors to move through the building.
Building began on the mountain of Montjuïc
Montjuïc
Montjuïc is a hill located in Barcelona, Catalonia.-Etymology:Montjuïc is translated as 'Jew Hill' in medieval Catalan, or is perhaps related to the Latin phrase Mons Jovicus . The name is found in several locations in the Catalan Countries: the Catalan cities of Girona and Barcelona both have a...
and the foundation opened on 10 June 1975. Not only was the architect a close friend of Miro but so was the first president Joaquim Gomis and Miro was amongst the first board. It was claimed that the new foundation represented a new way of viewing the concept of a museum and how the people of Barcelona could relate to their cultural heritage.
Expansion in 1986 to the building added an auditorium and a library which holds some of the 10,000 items in the Foundation and Miro's collection.
Works by Joan Miró
Many of the works in the building were donated by the artist himself.- Highlights include:
- The wing of the lark ... , 1967
- Hermitage of San Juan Huerta, 1917
- Street Pedralbes , 1917
- Portrait of a boy , 1919
- Painting (the white gloves), 1925
- Flame in space and Naked woman, 1932
- Character, 1934
- Man and Woman in Front of a Pile of ExcrementMan and Woman in Front of a Pile of ExcrementMan and Woman in Front of a Pile of Excrement is a 1935 oil painting on copper by Joan Miró.-Description:...
, 1935 - Naked woman climbing a staircaseNaked Woman Climbing a StaircaseNaked Woman Climbing a Staircase is a drawing done with pencil and charcoal on card made by Joan Miró in 1937. It is part of the permanent collection of the Fundació Joan Miró in Barcelona....
, 1937 - No, 1937
- The Morning Star, 1940
- Barcelona SeriesBarcelona SeriesThe Barcelona Series is a series of fifty black and white lithographs made by Joan Miró and published in 1944. They are currently in the permanent collection of the Miró Foundation in Barcelona.-Description:...
, 1944 - The Diamond smiles at twilight, 1947-1948
- The Caress of a BirdThe Caress of a BirdThe Caress of a Bird is a 1967 sculpture by Joan Miró made at his studio in Palma de Mallorca. It is part of the permanent collection of the Miró Foundation in Barcelona.-History:...
, 1967 - The gold of the azure, 1967
- Painting on white to a solitary cell I, II, III , 1968
- Figure in front of the sun , 1968
- Catalan peasant by moonlight, 1968
- Project for a monument to the city (moon, sun and star)Miro's ChicagoMiró's Chicago is a sculpture by Joan Miró. It is tall, and is made of steel, wire mesh, concrete, bronze, and ceramic tile.-History:...
, 1968 - Character, 1970, May 1968 , 1968-1973
Collection
In line with Miro's original idea the Foundation has a space named "" which is dedicated to promoting the work of young experimental artists. Although there is also work by Peter GreenawayPeter Greenaway
Peter Greenaway, CBE is a British film director. His films are noted for the distinct influence of Renaissance and Baroque painting, and Flemish painting in particular...
, Chillida , Rene Magritte
René Magritte
René François Ghislain Magritte[p] was a Belgian surrealist artist. He became well known for a number of witty and thought-provoking images...
, Rothko , Tapies and Saura. The collection includes Alexander Calder
Alexander Calder
Alexander Calder was an American sculptor and artist most famous for inventing mobile sculptures. In addition to mobile and stable sculpture, Alexander Calder also created paintings, lithographs, toys, tapestry, jewelry and household objects.-Childhood:Alexander "Sandy" Calder was born in Lawnton,...
's 4 Wings and Mercury Fountain. The Mercury Fountain is a fountain that uses the liquid metal mercury to create a fountain. As mercury is poisonous the fountain is kept behild glass to protect the visitors.
The museum uses QRpedia
QRpedia
QRpedia is a mobile Web based system which uses QR codes to deliver Wikipedia articles to users, in their preferred language. QR codes can easily be generated to link directly to any Uniform Resource Identifier , but the QRpedia system adds further functionality.QRpedia was conceived by Roger...
to allow visitors to read Wikipedia articles about objects in the collection, translated into their preferred language.