Miró’s Studio, Mayoral at 6 Duke Street, London

Miró’s Studio, Mayoral at 6 Duke Street, London

“My dream, when I can settle down somewhere, is to have a large workshop” –Joan Miró, 1938

60 years since Joan Miró’s studio was founded in Mallorca in 1956, the workshop has been reconstructed in London as an intensely immersive piece: an incredibly detailed work that mirrors the poetic environment of this leading avant-garde artist’s atelier. Amongst everyday ephemera copied from the artist’s workshop, and details drawn from a great deal of archival data and historical research, are 25 of Miró’s paintings and drawings; the piece therefore standing as both installation and exhibition.

Made clear by the Mediterranean colours, shapes and light within Miró’s work, this studio was a huge influence, and also a sanctuary which allowed Miró to cut off contact with the outside world and escape into his work. This studio was the first long-term residence for the artist, having lived in locations across Europe throughout his life and often travelling between two homes in Paris and Spain for example.

Once established in Mallorca in 1956, the artist remained here, working here relentlessly until his death in 1983. The studio had been designed by the artist’s friend and renowned Catalan architect, Josep Lluís Sert, who worked from exile in New York by sending Miró a series of letters which are also included within the show; this not only gives an insight into the development of the studio, but also into the great artist’s preferences, relationships and voice.

Miró’s Studio, 21 January – 12 February, Mayoral at 6 Duke Street, St James’s, London SW1Y 6BN.

For more details, visit www.galeriamayoral.com.

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Credits
1. Joan Miró en el taller Sert, Palma de Mallorca 1976. Archivo Successió Miró.