FUNDACIÓ JOAN MIRÓ, BARCELONA, BY JOSEP LLUÍS SERT
The legacy of one of Spain’s greatest contemporary artists is a museum that is rational yet sculptural
Before the Fundació Joan Miró opened in 1975, there were very few exhibition galleries in Spain for contemporary art. It was this that instigated Catalan painter Joan Miró to build a space of his own; he not only wanted to showcase his own work, but to shine a light on a whole new generation of artists. And what better way to do this than in a striking building just as avantgarde as the artworks it would house?
The architect tasked with turning Miró’s vision into reality was Josep Lluís Sert, a close friend who had previously worked with the artist on his studio in Mallorca. A former student of Le Corbusier, Sert had a forward-thinking approach that echoed that of Miró, so the pair had an immediate complicity.
For Miró, two ideas were central to the concept: the first was to facilitate works of vastly different scales, and the second was to create a relationship between art, architecture and nature. When you visit the museum, located high up on Barcelona’s Montjuïc Hill, it’s clear that Sert had no problem interpreting these ambitions. The building isn’t small, yet it feels more like a pavilion than an institution. There is a natural journey through the exhibition spaces, taking in a mix of grand and intimate galleries, glazed and sloping walkways, and a roof terrace that looks down over the city. Organised around a central courtyard, the route is so logical that you can explore every corner without having to repeat your steps.
The form of the building is equally rational. Built primarily from concrete, the structure combines an assortment of both curved and regular geometric forms that create an intricate play of light and shadow. Instead of feeling random, these forms have a distinctly Mediterranean character, from the curving skylights that allow plenty of natural light to filter directly into the galleries,to the barrel-vaulted ceilings.
While initially the museum mainly exhibited works from its founder’s extensive personal collection, today it has a much wider scope. Following extensions carried out by Sert’s friend Jaume Freixa in 1988 and 2000, it is now able to showcase many of Miró’s greatest works (there are more than 14,000 pieces in the collection) along with pieces by contemporaries such as Alexander Calder, Max Ernst and Marcel Duchamp. At the same time, the basement-level Espai 13 gallery hosts a rolling programme dedicated to emerging talents, in tribute to the artist’s original vision.
At a time when museums are having to work harder than ever to attract visitors, the Fundació Joan Miró shows just how powerful the physical experience of art and architecture can be.
SERT HAD A FORWARDTHINKING APPROACH THAT ECHOED THAT OF MIRO, SO THE PAIR HAD AN IMMEDIATE COMPLICITY