For 50 years, the Fundació Joan Miró has worked to become an emblematic museum in Barcelona and a symbol of Catalan culture to the world. The institution promotes transformative experiences of art with society, enhancing the work and vision of its founder, Joan Miró. As it celebrates its 50th anniversary, the Foundation reaffirms its position as a leading artistic institution in cultural, social and intellectual life, projecting itself as a creative and inspiring space for future generations of artists and art lovers.
Timeline
19
1973
1973
Construction of the Fundació
The architect Josep Lluís Sert plans and designs the building on some land on Montjuïc that had been transferred by Barcelona City Council. He envisages it as a republican Catalan institution.
1975
1975
The Fundació opens to the public
Barcelona now has its own Centre for Contemporary Art Studies (CEAC). The inauguration of the first temporary exhibition, Tantric Art, coincides with the death of the dictator Francisco Franco.
1976
1976
Official inauguration
A year after its opening, the Fundació is officially inaugurated in the absence of Francoist authorities. The Miró collection coexists alongside exhibitions demonstrating strong political commitment, in addition to seminars on psychoanalysis and puppet.
1983
1983
Death of Joan Miró
Joan Miró celebrates his 90th birthday in April 1983 and passes away in Palma de Mallorca in December. The Fundació pays tribute to him by creating a collection of works by key 20th-century artists.
1988
1988
First enlargement
The Fundació enlarges its building amidst Barcelona's urban transformation in order to increase its capacity and enable temporary exhibitions to coexist with its permanent collection.
1988
1988
From Espai 10 to Espai 13
As a result of the enlargement, the gallery dedicated to emerging art is transformed into today's shop. Espai 13 is inaugurated and curated seasons are consolidated.
1990
1990
Sculpture Garden
Barcelona prepares for the Olympic Games and 'makes herself beautiful'. A public garden with sculptures by artists who have exhibited in Espai 10 is inaugurated next to the
1993
1993
Miró Year
A major exhibition entitled Joan Miró: 1883-1993 opens in April to celebrate the artist's centenary, accompanied by other exhibitions and activities throughout Catalonia.
20
2000
2000
More Fundació, more Miró
The Fundació celebrates its 25th anniversary. The building is once again enlarged and works are added from the collector Kazumasa Katsuta. The celebration culminates with the success of a Mark Rothko exhibition.
2007
2007
1st Joan Miró Prize
The Fundació sets up the Joan Miró Prize, an award presented every two years to mid-career artists with a connection to Miró’s legacy.
2016
2016
Change of spaces
The permanent collection is once again housed in the rooms of the original building. Triptychs such as The Hope of a Condemned Man (1974) and Painting on White Background for the Cell of a Recluse (1968) are exhibited once more in the apses.
2018
2018
Opening the Archive
The Fundació’s Archives, which contain a significant collection of works on paper and documents, return to their original location, in the octagonal room between the library and the auditorium.
2025
2025
50th anniversary
The Fundació Miró celebrates its 50th anniversary with a clear goal: to become an institution ’For the people of tomorrow’. Two major exhibitions are inaugurated to mark this milestone, an extensive programme of activities is developed, the collection is rearranged, and the Cypress Garden is opened to the public.
50 years in figures
- More than 15 million of visitors
- More than 22.800 works in the collection
- More than 2.500 artists who we have collaborated with
- More than 700 exhibitions
- More than 850.000 students
- More than 750 loans
- More than 2.100 activities
- More than 00 published publications
Current events
Miró and the Foundation, in the Spotlight in Japan
From March 1 to July 6, the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum is hosting the first major retrospective of Miró since the national museums of modern art in Tokyo and Kyoto paid tribute to the artist in 1966 - the occasion of his first visit to Japan.
Kapwani Kiwanga, 2025 Joan Miró Prize
The jury highlighted Kapwani Kiwanga’s career forher ability to translate complex historical and social processes with precision and sensitivity into formally refined and conceptually rigorous installations that establish a deep dialogue with the exhibition space and the values that inspire Joan Miró’s legacy.
Shortlist announced for 9th edition of Joan Miró Prize 2025
The Fundació Joan Miró has announced the names of the five artists nominated for the ninth edition of the Joan Miró Prize. The award, one of the most important in the international art world, recognises and promotes the work of artists whose practices have a major impact on the development of contemporary art.
Discover what awaits you at the Fundació Miró in 2025
The celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Fundació Joan Miró, beginning on June 10, 2025, will highlight its value as a space for plural and pioneering artistic experimentation, with a varied program featuring several exhibitions by national and international artists.
Fundació Joan Miró initiates the Celebration of its 50th Anniversary
On june 19, the presentation event for the 50th Anniversary of Fundació Joan Miró took place, presented by Òscar Dalmau. The commemorative event brought together more than 200 people, including notable authorities such as Xavier Marcé, along with patrons and collaborators.
Activities of the 50 anniversary
Poetry has just begun. 50 years of the Miró
The exhibition provides a multifaceted history that is open to interpretation, in which the keys that motivated the setting up of the Centre for Contemporary Art Studies (CEAC) are revisited
Sert Solstice 2024
Coinciding with the summer solstice, the Fundació Joan Miró is offering an exceptional opportunity on Sunday 15 June between 6.00 and 10.00 am to view the building in natural daylight.
In front of the Moon, in front of the Sun
A family activity designed and led by the architect and communicator Miquel del Pozo.
Carved by the Light. Sert/Miró film
The documentary Carved by Light. Sert/Miró directed by Niccolò Bruna.
Illustrated Biographers
A playful encounter between two of Joan Miró's illustrators and the writer Gemma Gallardo.
Reincarnations I: fly
Recreation of the performance Volar: Paper Bombs, by Joan Brossa, Josep Mañà and Isidre Vallès (1978), reimagined by Jaume Clotet with the collaboration of Cabaret Internet.
Postcards from the Miró
Postcard drawing workshop open to everyone to celebrate and share the 50th anniversary of the Fundació Joan Miró.
Miró x Sónar: Yerai Cortés (Soldout)
Second concert of Music at the Miró series 2025, inside Festival Sónar.
Reincarnations II: To reflect
Reincarnation of a series of actions carried out at Espai 10 in April 1986.
Miró and the United States
The exhibition represents an intergenerational dialogue between Joan Miró and American artists, showing how their creative practices mutually enriched and contributed to the development of 20th-century art.
Some American Catalans and the Other Way Around
Photography exhibition about the artist and performer Joan Casellas.
Celebrate it with us
