| Press Release
1st Joan Miró Drawing Triennial
15 June–10 September 1989
With over 40 participants from various European countries and the United States, and more than 200 works from public and private collections, the first edition of the Drawing Triennial opens at the Fundació Joan Miró.
The Triennial replaces the former Joan Miró International Drawing Prize, established in 1961 by a group of artists from the Cercle Artístic de Sant Lluc and held annually. Unlike the Prize, the Triennial follows a different approach: each edition is overseen by a different curator, applying distinct selection criteria. Its aim is to promote drawing as an independent discipline, highlighting its evolution and its role in relation to other art forms.
By focusing exclusively on drawings created within the three years leading up to the exhibition and maintaining a highly selective approach, the Triennial has become a unique event in Europe.
For this year’s edition, art critic Rosa Queralt has curated the selection, following criteria inspired by the spirit of Miró – embracing nonconformity, risk and a rebellious character as common traits among the exhibited works. Another guiding principle in her selection has been geographic diversity, bringing together artists from German-speaking countries (Germany, Austria and Switzerland), Iberian countries (Spain and Portugal) and a strong representation of American artists.
Among the participants from the United States are John Cage, George Condo, Bruce Nauman and Richard Serra. Representing German-speaking countries are Silvia Bächli, Günter Damisch, Martin Kippenberger and A. R. Penck, while Iberian artists featured in the exhibition include Sergi Aguilar, Pep Camps, Roser Lacasa, Eva Lootz, J. M. Sicilia, Darío Urzay and Pedro Proença, among many others.
For the exhibition catalogue and presentation, the curator has grouped the artists into different sections based on shared stylistic characteristics or artistic intentions.
The trilingual catalogue includes introductory texts by Margit Rowell, Miquel Molins and Rosa Queralt (curator), along with detailed information on each artist. It also features colour and black-and-white reproductions of nearly all the exhibited works. The exhibition poster was designed by Georgina Escutia Canals, winner of the annual Joan Prats poster competition, open to design students.
The press preview of the exhibition will take place on Thursday, 15 June, at 12 p.m. |
