Fundació Pilar i Joan Miró - Palma, Mallorca
Fundació Pilar i Joan Miró - Palma, Mallorca
Carrer de Saridakis, 29
07015 Palma
Visited on 3 June 2025.
Prices
- €10 Adult
- €6.50 Over 66s / holders of a student card / people with disabilities
- €4 Residents of Palma
-
Free Child (under 16s)
Facilities
- Café (check opening times before visiting)
- Gift shop
- Car park
- Toilets
- The library Pilar Juncosa - specialising in contemporary art, particularly the life and work of Joan Miró
Kids
Nothing specifically aimed for kids, although it is a pleasant space to roam around for children that are aware of not being able to touch the exhibits. It is also reasonably buggy friendly, except for the steps that lead up to Son Boter.
Review of Fundació Pilar i Joan Miró a Mallorca
Just a 20 minute taxi ride (or a 30 minutes by bus) from the heart of Palma, the Fundació Miró Mallorca invites visitors to not only admire a rich collection of the artist’s work, but also to step inside the very studios where he spent the final decades of his life. A cultural haven away from the beach resorts for anyone who appreciates art, architecture and creative spaces.
The main museum is a minimal concrete building that houses Miro's paintings and sculptures, which are displayed on a rotating basis. There is also exhibition spaces for other artists' work, a library, an auditorium, offices and a gift shop. A pleasant space providing relief from the heat or, as we experienced, a short downpour. After viewing the artwork, the walkways draw you into the garden, where you find Miro's sculptures carefully composed in amongst the trees. Pools of water that cover flat roofs at ground level, integral to the design of the space, cleverly reflect the sky, natural surroundings and impressive linear architecture.
Fabric sculptures by Rosa Tharrats >
Disappointingly, when we visited the café was closed - not ideal with a young child in tow who loves a café. As we had purposely planned our late afternoon visit to coincide with tea time, a shortage of snacks meant it was a little more rushed that we would have liked, particularly as there didn't seem to be anywhere particularly appealing to eat in the immediate vicinity. However, if you visit when it is open (we will be sure to check next time), then the seating spills out into the garden where you can drink your coffee at a leisurely pace soaking in the art and atmosphere.
'In an interview given in 1951, Miró said: “A sculpture should stand in the open air, in the midst of nature.” Miró’s sculptures in the Fundació’s gardens do just that and they merge into the landscape.' (miromallorca.com)
The Sert Studio
Due to the relatively compact nature of the gallery and sculpture garden, it was not long before we made our way back towards the entrance and towards the Sert Studio, where Miró worked from 1956 until his death in 1981.
Miró commissioned his friend, architect Josep Lluís Sert, to design the studio. Even though at the time Sert was living in the US, the project was apparently completed through vast written correspondence between architect and artist. The rippling shape of the roof and materials used not only complement the landscape but create a beautiful and unique building. In the words of the architect himself:
“Architecture itself can become a sculpture” Josep Lluís Sert (cited on miromallorca.com)
Inside, an airy space for painting is filled with canvases, paints and inspiring objects gathered by the artist over the years. It was a real pleasure to walk in the footsteps of such a creative mind and peek into his workspace, discovering the objects he chose to surround himself with.
This small building, designed for one artist, is testament to the value that lies in good design and pushing the boundaries in terms of both style and effort to create something inspiring and timeless. It must have been a wonderful place for Miró to immerse himself in his work.
Son Boter
According to the Fundació's website, Studio Boter was purchased by Miró in 1959, and became his second studio, allowing for more space to work as well as securing the land behind his original studio.
With charcoal sketches adorning the walls, the feel of this space is more of a rough working environment that is easy to imagine was better suited to messy work like creating sculptures and printing.
As always with places dedicated to one person's work, I left wanting to find out much more about Miró's life, so a trip to the library is definitely on the cards.
After the visit, and failing to get a taxi, we decided to walk back towards Palma to find somewhere to eat. It was a bit of a trek but manageable with a buggy for our daughter to snooze in. It took us past the harbour and we finally found a lovely restaurant in Santa Catalina.
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Campbell Cole products shown in photos:
Photography:
Ian & Felicity Campbell Cole
Words:
Felicity Campbell Cole