The Japan Times - Spain gears up for year-long celebration of surrealist Joan Miro

Miro, who died in 1983 aged 90, was a giant of the surrealist movement, known for his playful, abstract paintings with bright geometric forms and doodle-like calligraphic lines.

The Joan Miro Foundation, which he established in a purpose-built modernist structure on top of a hill in Barcelona in 1975, now houses a vast collection of his canvases, sculptures and other works.

The institution is planning a year-long series of events to mark the half-century, ranging from exhibitions and concerts to a sunrise visit to its hilltop building.

"In these 50 years, we've gone from being an artist's dream to becoming a cultural reference point in Barcelona and around the world," said foundation director Marko Daniel.

The foundation traces its roots back to the early 1970s, when Miro -- then living in the nearby island of Mallorca -- sought to reconnect with his native city by creating a centre for contemporary art studies.

His close friend, architect Josep Lluis Sert, designed the distinctive white-concrete building nestled on Montjuic hill, overlooking Barcelona.

The foundation opened quietly on June 10, 1975, at Miro's request to avoid an official ceremony during the final months of General Francisco Franco's dictatorship.

A more celebratory inauguration followed a year later, after the dictator's death.

The anniversary celebrations kick off on Wednesday with the opening of an exhibition of photos, press clippings and architectural plans which trace the institution's evolution over the years.

The foundation will open its doors on Sunday at sunrise to allow visitors to experience the building bathed in the light of dawn.

"Miro left us not only a building, a unique institution, and a remarkable collection, but also a way of seeing the world," said Daniel.

- US ties explored -

One of the highlights of the anniversary will be the opening in October of "Miro and the United States", an exhibition examining the surrealist artist's connections with America -- a relationship less documented than his ties to France.

Miro visited the United States seven times between 1947 and 1968, and the show will feature works by American icons such as Louise Bourgeois, Jackson Pollock, and Mark Rothko alongside the Spanish artist's own pieces.

After its Barcelona run, the show will travel to the Phillips Collection in Washington DC in March where it will remain on display until July 2026.

"This will become the most important exhibition on Miro ever held in the United States," said the foundation's director of artistic programming, Ana Ara.

Next year the foundation will carry out a major reorganisation of its permanent collection, with more interpretive material added to help visitors understand how the artist conceived each piece.

"We want to place the visitor right in the moment when Miro was creating these works," Ara said.

Miro initially drew inspiration from artists such as Vincent van Gogh or Paul Cezanne before developing his own unique style.

French writer Andre Breton, leader of the surrealism movement, once called Miro "the most surrealist of us all".

Y.Mori--JT