Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
closedMonyear-round,200yardsfromtopoffunicular,ParcdeMontjuïc,tel.934-439-470,
www.fundaciomiro-bcn.org
. The museum has a cafeteria, a café, and a bookshop.
VisitingtheMuseum:
Thebuildingitself,designedin1975byJosepLluísSert(afriend
ofMiróandastudentofLeCorbusier),waspurpose-builttoshowofftheartofMiróandhis
contemporaries. Consider renting the wonderful audioguide, well worth the extra charge.
Barcelona-born JoanMiródividedhistime between ParisandCatalunya (including Bar-
celona and his favorite village, Mont-roig del Camp). As you wander, ponder this: Miró be-
lieved that everything in the cosmos is linked—colors, sky, stars, love, time, music, dogs,
men, women, dirt, and the void. He mixed childlike symbols of these things creatively, as a
poet uses words. It's as liberating for the visual artist to be abstract as it is for the poet: Both
can use metaphors rather than being confined to concrete explanations. Miró would listen
to music and paint. It's interactive, free interpretation. He said, “For me, simplicity is free-
dom.”
Here are some tips to help you enjoy and appreciate Miró's art: First meditate on it, then
read the title (for example,
The Smile of a Tear
), then meditate on it again. Repeat the pro-
cess until you have an epiphany. There's no correct answer—it's pure poetry. Devotees of
Miró say they fly with him and don't even need drugs. Psychoanalysts liken Miró's free-for-
all canvases to Rorschach tests. Is that a cigar in that star's mouth?
This museum rides the coattails of the stadium across the street (see next listing). You'll
twist down a timeline-ramp that traces the history of the Olympic Games, interspersed with
random exhibits about various sports. Downstairs you'll find exhibits designed to test your
athleticism,aplay-by-playrehashofthe'92BarcelonaOlympiad,acommemorationofJuan
Antonio Samaranch (the influential Catalan president of the IOC for two decades), a sports
media exhibit, and a schmaltzy movie collage. High-tech but hokey, the museum is worth
the time and money only for those nostalgic for the '92 Games.
Cost and Hours:
€4.50; April-Sept Tue-Sat 10:00-20:00, Sun 10:00-14:30; Oct-March
Tue-Sat10:00-18:00,Sun10:00-14:30;closedMonyear-round,Avingudadel'Estadi60,tel.
932-925-379,
www.fundaciobarcelonaolimpica.es
.
Aside from the memories of the medals, Barcelona's Olympic Stadium, originally built for
the 1929 World Expo, offers little to see today. But if the doors are open, you're welcome
to step inside. History panels along the railings overlooking the playing field tell the stadi-
um's dynamic story and show the place in happier times (filled with fans as Bon Jovi, the
Rolling Stones, and Madonna pack the place). The stadium was restored for the 1992 Sum-
mer Olympics, which were particularly memorable for the USA's basketball Dream Team,
