Joan Miró striking studio, designed by architect Josep Lluís Sert in Palma de Mallorca, epitomizes the creative synergy between Sert and renowned artist Miró. This collaboration not only symbolizes their individual careers—Sert’s innovative architectural vision and Miró’s iconic artistic expression—but also underscores their lasting influence on modern art and architecture, marking a pivotal moment in cultural history.

Joan Miró fell in love with Mallorca as a child, when the artist’s family regularly spent holidays on the island. Over the rest of his tumultuous life, he would often recall the sense of freedom and the bright sunlight that had drawn so many others to the island.

The adult life of the legendary Joan Miró was full of voluntary and forced travel. In Paris in 1920, he met Picasso for the first time. In 1921, he worked on the painting ‘The Farm,’ which was later purchased by Ernest Hemingway. In 1928, he visited the Netherlands, where he created the series ‘Dutch Interiors.’ A year later, fate again connected the artist with Mallorca: In 1929, Joan Miró married Pilar Juncosa Iglesias, a native of the island, and a year later, the couple had a daughter, Maria.

Spain’s bloody  Civil War saw Miró exiled to Paris, where he created the painting ‘Still Life with an Old Shoe’ and the equally important poster ‘Help Spain!’. With the outbreak of World War II, the artist left for the small village of Varangeville in Normandy. After the war, in 1947, Joan Miró worked in Cincinnati by painting the walls of the La Gourmet restaurant and the terrace of the Hilton Hotel. In 1950, he painted a fresco for Harvard University, and five years later, he painted the walls of the UNESCO Paris Office.

And it was only in 1956 that Joan Miró could finally afford his own studio-workshop in Mallorca. He invited his friend, Spanish architect Josep Luis Sert, to work on his dream project.

Like Miró, Sert was born in Barcelona. Josep Luis Sert worked for Le Corbusier. In the 1930s, the architect was a co-founder of the GATCPAC group (Grup d’Artistes i Tècnics Catalans per al Progrés de l’Arquitectura Contemporània), a group of Catalan artists and technicians for the progress of modern architecture. This group later became a well-known association, with the addition of western and northern groups, GATEPAC (Grupo de Artistas y Técnicos Españoles para el Progreso de l’Arquitectura Contemporánea), which in turn was the Spanish branch of the International Congress of Modern Architecture (CIAM

During this period, he designed several outstanding works of modern architecture, such as the Weekend House in El Garraf, Catalonia (1935), the Central Dispensary of Barcelona (1935), and the Master Plan of the City of Barcelona (1933-1935). From 1937 to 1939, Sert lived in Paris, where he designed the pavilion of the Spanish Republic for the Paris Exhibition of 1937. For the artistic content of the building, Sert called upon his artist friends: Pablo Picasso, Joan Miró, and Alexander Calder. Picasso’s contribution was “Guernica,” which became an overnight sensation.

With the Franco regime, the architect was suspended from work and disqualified in Spain for 20 years. But Joan Miró’s studio in Mallorca marked a turning point in his career. Sert, at that time, was a representative of the modern architectural movement and dean of the Harvard University Graduate School of Design. Thanks to Miró, Sert, in a professional sense, returned to Spain again, and it is noteworthy that he began his return from Mallorca.

The architect designed a wonderful and functional building using authentic natural materials, taking full advantage of the natural sunlight, and he deployed free but clearly defined facade lines to complement the whole with the terraces on the hillside. Miró helped his friend with practical advice, as he better understood the characteristics of the island’s climate and, of course, his own practical needs. Thus, there is a spacious workspace for creating large works and separate storage rooms for storing finished works. In the autumn of 1956, the studio was completed, and Miró was completely delighted with the result.

Today, the Sert Workshop for Joan Miró still fits perfectly into the hillside, and when you look closely, you realize that this building floats a little in the air, like a seagull above the ground and the sea in the rays of the generous sun. A tangible spirit of freedom, creativity, and love for Mallorca continues to soar within these walls, and you can easily see it for yourself.

Stephan Reiryan 

Address: Fundació Miró Mallorca Carrer de Saridakis, 29 07015 Palma +34 971 701 420

The price of the entrance ticket is 10 euros

Image credit: Courtesy Photo archive Fundació Pilar i Joan Miró a Mallorca