Joan Miró – Wall of the Barcelona Airport, 1970, earthenware, 10 x 50 m, Terminal B, El Prat Airport, Barcelona, Spain, image: public domain
Joan Miró’s four mosaic pieces in Barcelona
If you have ever been to Barcelona, you must have walked over one of Joan Miro’s mosaics. In 1968 he pledged to create four pieces of art that he would donate to the city of Barcelona where he was born. They were installed in prominent places such as the airport as well as the center of Barcelona’s Rambla, where he permanently incorporated his work into a pavement.
What all of his mosaic works have in common
The use of different colors in the mosaic brings out the vibrancy that is his style of art. All the artwork that is associated with Joan Miró speaks the language of simplicity, generous use of color and simple shapes. More than four decades after his first outdoor work of art, the works of Joan Miró, located in various parts of the world, are enjoying facelifts of massive proportions.
Miró not bothered by wear & tear
Apart from the Woman and Bird statue, all the other works of the artist were designed to be walked over in public places. This did not at all bother the artist. In fact, the reality that it would undergo faster wear and tear and thus be restored regularly could have been inspiring to him.
All mosaic murals
Miró’s Wall of the Barcelona Airport, 1970
Another notable Miró mosaic is located at the Barcelona Airport, Terminal 2. It is easy to spot because it is inevitably the first thing travelers step on when they get off a flight. This is a great orientation to visitors coming to the city for the first time, and rightfully so because the large mural made up of ceramic pieces is at the entry point to the city. The airport mural, which measures 9 meters in length and 5 meters in width, was completed in 1970. A ceramicist friend of Joan known as Josep Llorens Artigas, with whom he collaborated on various projects in the 1960s, helped him put the mural together. Joan would spend a lot of his time creating the robust mosaic, but some unexpected details occurred at the kiln, which fascinated the two friends.
Joan Miró – Wall of the Barcelona Airport, 1970, earthenware, 10 x 50 m, Terminal B, El Prat Airport, Barcelona, Spain, photo: Zinneke, CC BY-SA 3.0Joan Miró – Wall of the Barcelona Airport, 1970, earthenware, 10 x 50 m, Terminal B, El Prat Airport, Barcelona, Spain, photo: public domainJoan Miró – Wall of the Barcelona Airport, 1970, earthenware, 10 x 50 m, Terminal B, El Prat Airport, Barcelona, Spain, photo: CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 by mydograzzle
Nine years to restore the mural
Such details take a lot of time to preserve that have made facelifts of the various art pieces rather time-consuming. For instance, the airport mural took a record 9 years to restore, but the outcome is worth every second spent.
Location
El Prat Aeroport, Terminal B, 08820, Barcelona, Spain
Pla de l’Os, Barcelona
The third of the four donations dedicated to the city of Barcelona is the Pla de l’Os Mosaic, which is a symbol that ushers in visitors coming into Barcelona through the sea. In line with the artist’s style, the mosaic comprises circular forms to represent the cosmos and depicts entry into the city through the sea. Like his other works with lots of colors and shapes, this mosaic situated at the seaport is made up of round shapes in bright colors. The mosaic was commissioned and installed in 1976.
Joan Miró – Mosaic del Pla de l’Os (detail), 1976, mosaic, 7,81 x 8,33 cm, installation view, Pla de l’Os, Barcelona, Spain, photo: eric, 2010-08-24 PM Ramblas – Joan Miro, CC BY 2.0Joan Miró – Mosaic del Pla de l’Os (detail), 1976, mosaic, 7,81 x 8,33 cm, installation view, Pla de l’Os, Barcelona, Spain, photo: Claudio, Mosaico Mirò sulla Rambla, CC BY 2.0Joan Miró – Mosaic del Pla de l’Os (detail), 1976, mosaic, 7,81 x 8,33 cm, installation view, Pla de l’Os, Barcelona, Spain, photo: Fabio Alessandro Locati, CC BY-SA 3.0
IBM mural
Joan Miró – IBM Mural, 1978, earthenware, 280 x 870 cm, installation view, Museo Nacional de Arte de Cataluña, Spain, photo: CC BY-NC 2.0 by kewing
Woman and Bird, Barcelona
The Woman and Bird statue is the last work of art done by Miró in the series that he had purposed to welcome travelers arriving into Barcelona. This particular artwork is to be found in Barcelona’s main train station and was unveiled in 1983.
Joan Miró – Wall of the Conferences and Exhibitions Palace of Madrid, 1980, stoneware, 950 x 5950 cm, Palacio de Congresos de Madrid, Spain, image: public domain
Wilhelm-Hack Museum, Ludwigshafen, Germany
Joan Miró – Miró Wall, 1979, 7,200 ceramic tiles, 10 x 55m, Wilhelm-Hack Museum, Ludwigshafen, Germany, photo: public domainJoan Miró – Miró Wall, 1979, 7,200 ceramic tiles, 10 x 55m, Wilhelm-Hack Museum, Ludwigshafen, Germany, photo: public domainJoan Miró – Miró Wall, 1979, 7,200 ceramic tiles, 10 x 55m, Wilhelm-Hack Museum, Ludwigshafen, Germany, photo: public domainJoan Miró – Miró Wall, 1979, 7,200 ceramic tiles, 10 x 55m, Wilhelm-Hack Museum, Ludwigshafen, Germany, photo: public domainJoan Miró – Miró Wall, 1979, 7,200 ceramic tiles, 10 x 55m, Wilhelm-Hack Museum, Ludwigshafen, Germany, photo: public domainJoan Miró – Miró Wall (signatures of the artists), 1979, 7,200 ceramic tiles, 10 x 55m, Wilhelm-Hack Museum, Ludwigshafen, Germany, photo: public domainJoan Miró – Miró Wall (detail), 1979, 7,200 ceramic tiles, 10 x 55m, Wilhelm-Hack Museum, Ludwigshafen, Germany, photo: public domain
Joan Miró – Wall of the Fondation Maeght (Mur de la Fondation Maeght), 1968, earthenware, 200 x 1225 cm, photo: CC BY 2.0 by dalberaJoan Miró – Wall of the Fondation Maeght (Mur de la Fondation Maeght), 1968, earthenware, 200 x 1225 cm, photo: CC BY-NC 2.0 by gpparker
Wichita State University campus
For those who grew up in Wichita or attended the Wichita State University campus, the past is reclaiming its space. The mosaic, which was made in France, was shipped to the United States in 1978. When the restoration was handed over to a conservation service, their focus was to not only restore the original glamor but also retain the integrity of the artwork. Since the piece was an outdoor structure, it disintegrated due to high winds, lightning, thunder, and fluctuating temperatures.
Joan Miró – Personnages Oiseaux (Bird People), 1977–78, venetian glass and marble, 8,02 x 15,88cm, Ulrich Museum of Art, Wichita State University, Kansas, USA, Brent Danley from Saco, ME, USA, Personnages Oiseaux (1978), CC BY-SA 2.0
The Wall of the Moon (La Luna), UNESCO building, Paris
Joan Miró (in collaboration with Josep Llorens i Artigas) – The Wall of the Moon (La Luna), 1955–1958, 2.20 m x 15 m (7.2 ft x 49 ft), installation view, UNESCO building, Paris, photo: Rubén Ojeda, CC BY-SA 4.0
Fundació Pilar i Joan Miró a Mallorca, Spain
Joan Miró (in collaboration with Maria Antònia Carrió Payeras) – Untitled, 1992, ceramics, 464 x 970 cm, installation view, Fundació Pilar i Joan Miró a Mallorca, Spain, photo: Rubén PerdomoJoan Miró (in collaboration with Maria Antònia Carrió Payeras) – Untitled, 1992, ceramics, 464 x 970 cm, installation view, Fundació Pilar i Joan Miró a Mallorca, Spain, photo: CC BY-NC 2.0 by masia vilaltaJoan Miró (in collaboration with Maria Antònia Carrió Payeras) – Untitled, 1992, ceramics, 464 x 970 cm, installation view, photo: Pep Escoda
Other ceramic works & murals in Spain, Switzerland and the USA
Joan Miró – Mur pour David Fernández Miró, 1983, Parc de la Mar, Palma de Mallorca, Spain, photo: Alinea, Miro, Palma, CC BY-SA 3.0Joan Miró (in collaboration with Joan Gardy Artigas) – Untitled, 1992, ceramics, 262 x 1152 cm, installation view, Cafeteria Fundacio Pilar i Joan Miro, Palma de Mallorca, photo: CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 by lawrence’s lensesJoan Miró (in collaboration with Josep Llorens Artigas) – Untitled (detail), 1964, ceramic plates, 29 x 1.1 meters, University of St. Gallen, Switzerland, 2020, photo: Public DeliveryJoan Miró – Mural for the Terrace Plaza Hotel, Cincinnati, 1947, oil on canvas, 259.1 x 935.4 cm (102 x 368 1/4 in.), Terrace Plaza Hotel, Gourmet Room (now: Cincinnati Art Museum), USA, image: public domain
All images by Successió Miró unless otherwise noted.
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