London gallery reproduces Miró’s studio

London (CNA).- The historically accurate reconstruction includes 22 paintings and drawings dating from the years when the Catalan painter was working at his studio in Palma de Mallorca. However, the exhibition goes much further and aims to reproduce the artist’s working space, so that the visitor could appreciate Miró’s artwork within its original context”, explained ‘Miró’s Studio’s curator, Elena Cámara. Thus, ‘Miró’s Studio’ includes reproductions of personal objects from the artist, such as photographs and postcards, but also leaves, shells, roots and other natural items which Miró picked up and brought into his atelier. “He needed to create an atmosphere which would allow him to be in permanent contact with nature” explained Miró’s grandson and ‘Miró’s Studio’ advisory, Joan Punyet Miró. After London, the exhibition will be displayed in New York. 

“We can feel Miró’s spirit in here, his soul and his creative process” stated Punyet Miró, recalling his grandfather’s studio in Palma de Mallorca. “We wanted to be very accurate and respectful” explained Cámara “as former director of the Joan Miró Foundation, I have to admit that the result is amazing”.

The studio offered Miró “a working environment where his creativity could flow” explained Punyet Miró, “when he closed the door behind him he was cutting all contact with the outside world and entering into his own imaginary universe”; a universe full of references to nature, the colours, the shapes and the materials which composed Miró’s imagination. Thus, visitors can find reproductions of personal objects from the artist, such as photographs and postcards, but also furniture, household items, leaves, shells, roots and other natural objects which Miró picked up and brought into his atelier. “Objects were everything but trivial for Miró”, explained Cámara “by looking at the objects we travel on an itinerary through his iconography and his artwork’s context”. “This is much more than an exhibition” she stated.

‘Miró’s Studio’ also includes the correspondence between Miró and his friend and architect Lluís Sert relating to the conception of the studio in 1950s.

Miró’s later works

The idea for this exhibition was formed when the Mayoral Family travelled to Mallorca, guided by Punyet Miró and Cámara, to visit the Fundació Pilar i Joan Miró. When they entered the artist’s studio they were so amazed that they wanted to reproduce its atmosphere. The space, known as ‘Taller Sert’, acted as a refuge for Miró and he worked there from 1956 until his death in 1983. 

The 22 paintings exhibited in ‘Miró’s Studio’ date from the artist’s later period. “They are strong paintings, where the substance and the use of black colour are especially strong” explained Cámara. She also outlined that most of the artworks displayed come from private collections and, therefore, are not frequently seen.

“Miró was a great, revolutionary and primitive artist” explained his grandson. According to him, the Mayoral Gallery initiative will bring Miró’s figure closer to Londoners. “It is a new way to spread Miró’s popularity and the sympathy towards the artist” he stated.

Mayoral Gallery and Barcelona

Mayoral is a gallery specialised in museum-quality post-war and modern art, focusing on artists with a connection to the city of Barcelona. Founded in 1989 in the Catalan capital, Mayoral’s exhibition programme has brought into focus historical works by major avant-garde artists of the twentieth century. The gallery works with Dalí, Picasso and Miró, as well as modern masters such as Chillida, Léger and Magritte, amongst others. Its activities extend internationally, through participation in international art fairs and close relationships with important private collections and museums, such as the MoMa in New York, the Picasso Museum in Barcelona and Reina Sofia, in Madrid.