Discovering the Miro Museum in Barcelona

Art and Design, Museums, Places of interest, Things to see on June 2, 2009 11:54 am

I was given the chance to visit the Miro Museum Barcelona. Located high in the hills of Montjuic, one of the best ways to get easily was to catch the no.50 bus on Gran Vía near the crossing with Passeig de Gracia. I did so and it took around 20-25 minutes from there, until where it dropped me off directly outside the museum. Although be careful to watch out for the big white building on your left hand side as I nearly missed the stop!

The Miro Museum Barcelona was opened on 10th June 1975 and was the first institution in the city to focus solely on contemporary art. Miró never wanted to define himself as just being a painter; he also dabbled in sculpture, textiles, ceramics and tapestries. The majority of the collection in the gallery belongs to Joan Miró himself however there has been many donations of work over the years from other artists.

The tour starts off with what must have been one of if not his biggest pieces of work. It’s a tapestry which stands the whole height of the room, at least 7-8 metres high. It is awash with bright colours although mainly primary ones as it is dominated by reds, yellows and blues. The guide describes it as having big feet which get thinner as it rises up with a moon appearing in the top right corner. The moon has been created in blue and you are informed by the audio guide that Miró often represented blue in his work.

The most interestingly named piece in the gallery is the ‘Man and woman in front of a pile excrement’. Made in 1935 it belongs to Miró’s so called ‘wild paintings’ which were created out of the anguish felt by the artist over the Spanish Civil War. The piece is dominated by the black apocalyptic sky and the distorted shape of the two bodies in the photo and of course the pile of excrement which signifies the pessimism of the artist.

You are also able to get onto the roof of the Miro Museum Barcelona and witness a few pieces of work in the open air. One of my favourite pieces there is a sculpture of a red set of female legs with a small square torso and a yellow face on top. Extremely obscure but it is an intriguing work nonetheless.

Check out our other article on the master of surrealism; Joan Miró

The museum is a worthwhile trip for any art enthusiast and provides a comprehensive collection of some fine contemporary art.

Andrew

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