Two essential painters of the 20th century, close friends, are now the subject of a remarkable joint exhibition in Barcelona, a city in which they both lived, where they met and where, later, major art museums opened to celebrate the work of each one. The Joan Miró Foundation and the Picasso Museum have this Friday opened the first major joint exhibition of the two artists which can be seen from October 20th until February 25th, 2024: it's entitled simply Miró-Picasso and it offers the simultaneous exhibition at the two museums of a selection of more than 300 works and documents, coinciding with the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Andalusian's death and the 40th anniversary of that of the Catalan. The selection traces the mutual fascination between Joan Miró and Pablo Picasso, their artistic affinities and their shared love for Barcelona, giving viewers the opportunity to see, for the first time in Barcelona, pieces such as Miró's Woman, Bird, Star and The Three Dancers by Picasso, and is curated by Teresa Montaner and Sònia Villegas from the Joan Miró Foundation, and by Margarida Cortadella and Elena Llorens from the Picasso Museum of Barcelona.
Among the highlights that it delves into are their proximity to surrealist circles, their political commitment during the Spanish Civil War and the darkness of the Second World War. You can also see the two artist's shared interest in poetry and writing, the discovery of ceramics or their work in architectural areas and public space. Speaking to the ACN agency, co-curator Elena Llorens explained that they did not start from a formal dialogue between the works because the two artists speak very different languages. "Despite the fact that the visitor will be able to find elective affinities between the artists, the idea was not to pursue formal similarities because they are impossible", she explained. The unique and unrepeatable exhibition shows, for example, how the relationship between Miró and Picasso began when the former attended the ballet Parade, by Diaghilev's Ballet Russes at the Barcelona opera house, the Gran Teatre del Liceu, on November 10th, 1917. Picasso created the sets, wardrobe and curtain for the work. Miró saw the pieces again two years later. According to the curator Sònia Villegas, Miró met Picasso when he was already "consecrated" and with a very "defined" trajectory.
The exhibition includes works on loan from institutional and private collections around the world. There are 76 paintings that are being seen for the first time in Barcelona and others that have not been exhibited in the Catalan capital for years. Among the most outstanding pieces are Joan Miró's Farm from The National Art Gallery in Washington DC, The Dance by Pablo Picasso from the Tate Modern in London and pieces from the Picasso and Miró personal collections that they had kept all their lives. Examples include Spanish Ballerina by the Catalan artist and Self-Portrait by the Malaga artist. In addition, pieces such as Miró's Flame in space and nude woman and Las Meninas by Picasso have left their creator's museum to be installed in that of his fellow artist. In fact, 130 pieces have been moved between museums so that the public has a unique experience.
Among the list of museums that have lent pieces are more than thirty institutions such as the Picasso National Museum in Paris, the Pompidou Centre, the Museu Nacional Center d'Art Reina Sofía, The Museum of Modern Art in New York and Barcelona's MNAC. The exhibition is divided into seven major thematic and chronological sections: The Encounter, The Paris of Surrealism, Painting and Writing, Years of War, From the Murder of Painting to Ceramics, The Picasso Style, The Miró Language, and Miró Pays Tribute to Picasso. The initiative is part of the official programme of the Picasso 1973-2023 Celebration.