Miró Foundation: immerse yourself in the poetic world of a Catalan painter

Miró is an emblematic Catalan artist who left his mark on the Barcelona landscape. As well as having created large mosaics on the Ramblas and at the airport (keep your eyes open, as they are still there) he was behind the creation of a foundation that bears his name.

An impressive collection

The Miró foundation was created in 1971, and opened its doors to the public in 1975. It is home to around 200 paintings, 200 sculptures, more than 6200 sketches and notes gathered by Miró throughout his life, as well as books, engravings and carpets.

Allying art and architecture

A building specially designed for Miró’s works

The building that houses the Miró foundation was specially built by one of his architect friends in collaboration with the artist.

The two friends had previously worked together, notably on the Maeght Foundation at Saint-Paul-de-Vence, in the South of France. It’s the same style of architecture that is found in Barcelona: a Mediterranean inspiration, with white walls, an internal patio, a roof terrace, and natural light…the result is magnificent!

Ingenious construction

All of the architectural work was conceived to highlight Miró’s works and protect visitors from heat and external noise.

Light penetrates in an unusual way without using traditional large windows. The reason is that the fewer windows, the more walls their are for exhibiting the canvases.

The terrace

The foundation’s terrace is also an exhibition space with some coloured statues exposed at a height, and displayed against a background of the panoramic view of Barcelona. This is not to be missed!

Miró, an artist with a thousand faces

The rich legacy of Miró

The permanent collection takes us on a trip through the ages of the artist from his beginnings to maturity.

We can see the fauvist, naturalist, Asian, roman, and cubist influences on this painter in the mingling of schools and trends that led him to constantly reinvent his art.

Comparing this different period in the artistic development of Miró allows us to understand his method and the style that best represents it: dreamlike, poetic and stamped with rules of composition.

 

A little advice to help you make the most of your visit

Miró is an abstract artist, so unless you are a specialist you may need to avail of some explanations, which are available in Catalan, Spanish and English.

• We advice a private visit with a professional guide, you can read our article on guided visits or you can contact us.

A centre of contemporary art

At the entrance to the foundation you can read the letters CEAC, for “Centre for the study of contemporary art”. Miró wanted to make the centre a place for contemporary culture, and not just a museum of his works.

There is therefore a space reserved for young emerging artists (Espai 13), where many temporary exhibitions are also held during the year.

The centre also has a free archive that is open to all.

Useful information

Price

• Access to the permanent collection and temporary exhibitions costs around 11 euros. Discount price, on presentation of a student card, is 7 euros.
• If you’re planning on coming to the foundation more than once, go for the annual pass as it costs around 12 euros.
• The audio guide costs around 5 euros but it is well worth it. Without it, the world of Miró may be difficult to comprehend.
• Entry to temporary exhibitions costs around 7 euros, 5 euros for reduced tickets.
• Tickets for l’espai 13 cost around 3 euros.

Opening hours

• Miró foundation is open Tuesday to Saturday and only holiday Mondays.
• Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays the foundation is open from 10am to 6pm. From April to October closing time is 8pm.
• Thursdays: 10am to 9pm
• Sunday and holidays: 10am to 2:30pm

 

When to visit the Miró foundation?

• A tour takes around 1 hour 30 minutes. We advise you to visit either when it opens or two hours before it closes as this is when there are fewer people.
• It is also a good idea to visit on a nice day so you can enjoy the terrace.

How to get to the Miró Foundation?

The Miró foundation is located on Montjuïc hill so you have to climb for a while to get to it! You can go for one of the following options:

• Funicular: from Paral·lel (metro L3). You will only pay for one ticket even if you take both the metro and the funicular.
• Bus: numbers 55 and 150.
• By taxi: a taxi rank is located just in front of the foundation.
• By car: Montjuïc is an area where you can still park for free. But pay attention to the signs as wardens go by regularly.