Barcelona

The Montjuïc area of Barcelona has a lot to offer, not least panoramic views over the city. It is also where you will find the Fundació Joan Miró, an extensive collection of the artist's work in a custom built museum. It is really a case of the building fitting the collection here, with its simple shapes and gleaming white colour, a perfect setting for Miró's bold, primary colours. The way the light floods most of the galleries also enhances the rich collection.

Much of the collection was donated by Miró himself and is extremely varied. The first work we came across was a huge tapestry which came as a surprise to me as I mainly knew of his work as a painter. I discovered he also made sculptures, ceramics and prints.


I have to say I didn't know an awful lot about Miró before visiting this place but I was struck by how many of his paintings I recognised, or at least recognised the style of. The colours I mentioned before, the thick black lines, the stars, the moons, the birds... But there is much more to Miró's art than I imagined. The earliest work in the museum dates back from 1901 and Miró went on working more or less to the end of his life, in 1983. During this time, his art was constantly evolving, and Miró was always trying to move further and further away from convention. I have to admit that he left me behind on many occasions, but perhaps one short visit to the Fundació is not enough to develop an understanding and appreciation of this artist. But there was still plenty there I enjoyed.

One of my favourite parts of the museum was the roof terrace, where one can admire some wonderfully quirky pieces and also get one of the best views of Barcelona in the city, framed by the beautiful architecture of the Fundació. A great place for taking pictures if you can manage to dodge other visitors who always seem to come round the corner as you are about to press the button!

The Fundació houses a lot of work by other artists and I particularly liked a mercury fountain in one of the windows that looked onto the garden.

There is a cafe there and a drink was very welcome, as I found the building seemed to favour the build-up of heat which did take away from the enjoyment of the museum. And as it was only April, I don't think I would like to visit in the full heat of summer. The cafe itself was fairly unremarkable. The shop has a great selection of art books.

Overall, in any other city, I would say this museum is a must see. In Barcelona, where there is so much to see and do, I would recommend this to visitors with a taste for abstract art, or people who are interested in Art in general. And of course Miró fans.

Other works by Miró can be seen all over Barcelona, in particular sculptures and mosaics.