CEAC Fundació Joan Miró

CEAC Fundació Joan Miró
1972-1975
Presented by Amanda Kohn

On Montjuic in Barcelona, just a short walk from the site of the 1992 olympics lays the Fundació Joan Miró. It was designed in the 1960’s by Miró’s close friend Josep Lluís Sert. Miró donated his own work on the condition that the museum not become a mausoleum for him but an open space for creative investigation. The Centre d’Estudis d’Arte Contemporani, as it is formaly known, opened on June 10th, 1975. The architecture is a reflection of Mediterranean design in a rationalist style. The different spaces are organized around two central patios and uses Sert’s characteristic skylights to indirectly illuminate the plain white walls. Diffused light in the exhibition floats through the barrel vaulted ceilings. Direct light on the roof terraces shows off Miró’s sculpture and frames views of the city, and compressed light in the basement room offers a space for young artists to experiment with their art. An octagonal tower, resembling a gothic bell tower, interrupts the regularity of the floor plan and holds an auditorium, library, and exhibition spaces. Additions to the building were made in 1988 and 2001 by Jaume Freixa, a pupil of Sert. Today it holds one of the largest collections of Miró’s work, as well as an everchaging temporary exhibit. It is a space of Catalán and artistic pride for the city of Barcelona.