Not far from the center of Palma de Mallorca there is a place that you should visit: the Pilar and Joan Miró Foundation. More than a museum, it is the home-studio of one of the greatest artists of the 20th century.
ABOUT JOAN MIRÓ
Everyone, even those who are not experts in art, have an idea of Miró’s style, with those apparently simple lines that almost resemble children’s drawings.
Joan Miró was born in Barcelona in 1893. During his life he was more than a surrealist artist: he was a great experimenter and researcher. In fact, in the 1930s, at the beginning of his artistic career, he devoted himself to painting. Then, in the mid-1940s he began to make his first ceramic sculptures. Finally, in the 1960s he dedicated himself to the creation of bronze sculptures, using waste objects as raw material. In addition, he began to use unusual materials. He also started to burn or tear the canvases before painting them.
THE HISTORY OF THE PILAR AND JOAN MIRÓ FOUNDATION
Joan Miró loved the sea and in 1956 he moved with his wife Pilar to Palma, where he lived and worked until 1983, when he died.
The artist had always wanted a workshop of his own and in 1956 he took possession of a studio not far from the royal summer residence Marivent, in Cala Major. The studio had been designed by his friend, architect Josep Lluis Sert, who had designed it exactly for Miro.
Three years later, in 1959, Miró bought the nearby Son Boter, a typical traditional Majorcan rural house, from which he could admire a fantastic panorama over the Bay of Palma to the Sierra de Tramuntana. A few years later, worried about the growing overbuilding of the area, Miró set up a public foundation to preserve the area, his works and to spread the culture of art.
Today, the Pilar and Joan Miró Foundation is a place perfectly integrated into the surrounding environment. It consists of 3 buildings (Edificio Mone, Studio Son Sert and Studio Son Boter), and hosts about Miró’s 6000 works including paintings, sculptures, tapestries, drawings, sketches and documents. Definitely, the Foundation offers an insight into Miró’s artwork and his creative process by him. But there is more.
Miró was an orderly and habitual man. So, visiting the Foundation means exploring the place where he worked exactly as they were. Indeed, his easels, brushes and unfinished paintings are still at their places. There are even the two worker’s overalls he used to wear to paint, still leaning against a balustrade. For this reason, visiting the Foundation is almost an intimate experience, which creates a personal connection with the artist.
USEFUL INFORMATION ABOUT THE FOUNDATION
A satisfying visit to the Foundation takes at least 2 hours. Visitors can choose from different types of guided tours: tailor-made tours, private visits, regular guided tours. In any case, experts will tell anecdotes about the artist’s life and explain his creative technique.
For opening hours and ticket costs, we recommend you visit the official website of the Pilar and Joan Miró Foundation.
