The Joan Miró Foundation was opened to the public on June 10, 1975.
Its origins are linked to the first major exhibition of Joan Miró in Barcelona, in 1968, in the former Hospital de la Santa Creu. Several personalities from the world of art and culture realized then the historic opportunity to have, in Barcelona, a space of reference for the work of Miró. Of course, but with the will of the artist, the new institution should also enable the knowledge and dissemination of the most current art, in all its aspects. At a time when the artistic and cultural landscape was rather small, the Joan Miró Foundation brought vitality with a new, more dynamic concept of museum, in which Miró's creation coexisted with the most diverse artistic manifestations. This fact was reflected in the CEAC (Centro de Estudios de Arte Contemporáneo) caption.
Recently the Foundation has been declared a museum of national interest due to the importance of its heritage. The collection of the Joan Miró Foundation comprises more than 14,000 pieces: 217 paintings, 178 sculptures, 9 textiles, 4 ceramics, the almost complete graphic work and some 8,000 drawings. Most of this fund was donated to the Foundation by Miró himself. Other works come from the collection of Pilar Juncosa, wife of the artist, and the collection of Joan Prats, close friend of Miró and promoter of the idea of creating the Foundation.
