New director of Joan Miró Foundation wants to “revitalize” the artist’s image

Joan Miró’s colorful, whimsical work has become one of the artistic references for the city of Barcelona. Yet, more could be done to “revitalize” the memory of this Catalan artist – so says the new director of the Joan Miró Foundation, German art historian Marko Daniel.

Daniel, who will begin as the new director on January 2, 2018, cut his teeth on projects like working as the Convenor of Public Programmes at London’s Tate Modern and Tate Britain. He took up the position at the Foundation following Rosa Maria Malet, who ran the organization for 37 consecutive years before deciding to retire. Daniel himself decided to join the Joan Miró Foundation because of its potential to bring “confluence” to all the axes of his work, and because he’s always thought of Miró as a “referent.”

In his new role at the Joan Miró Foundation, Daniel is aiming to “connect” the figure of the iconic artist with current events. The historian lamented that “often, it’s appreciated more” abroad than in Catalonia. But, he explained, Miró’s gaze “connects to the reality we live in.”