Joan Miró’s work is highly regarded around all of Catalunya. Before and following his death in 1983 the people of Barcelona have paid tribute to his art and his style through things like sculptures, museums, and more. The Joan Miró park, which sits directly next to Plaça Espanya and Montjuic, was once the location of an old slaughterhouse, but in 1979 this was torn down and turned into the park that sits today to commemorate Miró. Children of all ages come to the park to enjoy all of its features like the slides, bungee course, swings, and more. Joan Miro’s love for kids will live on as children of today and the future honor and admire his legacy at this park.
Who is Joan Miró?
Joan Miró was born in 1893 in Barcelona. He lived in the Gothic Quarter with his family until he went away to college and then art school. In art school, the same which Picasso had attended, he was mentored by many great artists and he learned a lot about how to perfect his craft. He failed many times in his early career but eventually he found huge success.
His art was most closely related to Surrealist art due to the way he shaped his work and his long brush strokes. He played off of this category and practically created his own genre of art. He used bright and strong colors in all of his work and would produce simplified formations based off of real life objects. Many of his art was arranged together for many to admire in his own exhibitions throughout Europe and New York. Today many of his sculptures and paintings are on display around the world. He is an award winning artist that will forever be remembered and honored in his home city of Barcelona.
The Joan Miró Library
The Biblioteca Joan Miró is located in the Joan Miró park, surrounded by a beautiful water feature. The library has large open windows for the people inside to look out at the beautiful park while they work. There are working stations on both two levels of the library with computers. They have both an adult, quiet section and a kids, mildly quiet section. The kids section has board games, computer games, toys, drawing materials, and of course books. Children can play, learn, and explore. Joan Miró books are available for children or adults to read which give step by step instructions to draw objects in his style.
The Water Game Park
This water park is a brand new addition to the area! The park opened for the first time this summer in June and will remain open until September 6th. It only costs about 1.6 euros to make your child’s day. This is a little water wonderland for the children. There are slip n slides, water beds for jumping on, pools, sprinklers, slides, and many fun water toys/games. Each group comes inside for an hour to enjoy and then must go so the next group can cycle in. They do this in order to regulate overcrowding so kids can run around and have fun with lots of space. They are open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. so there is lots of time for you to make it with the kids. Ages 0-12 are welcome!
Las Arenas
Next to the park is Las Arenas, a popular shopping mall with 5 levels of fun. The first two floors have shops for clothes and more, the third floor is a movie theater, the fourth floor is a gym, and the 5th floor is a rooftop with 360 degree views of Barcelona as well as the location for a handful of delicious restaurants. You can head here after enjoying the park for a bird’s eye view of it. You can see Miró’s work “Dona i Ocell“, Sagrada Familia, Plaça Espanya, the Magic Fountains, the art museum, and more.
The building actually used to be an area for bull fighting. This was once a tradition in Barcelona but has since been stopped due to the inhumane torture of the animals. The last bull fight took place in 1977 and then was closed down. The building started to decay over the years and was close to being demolished, but then it was purchased and got totally renovated. The exterior was kept the same but of course the inside is much different. I don’t think they had led light games mounted in the floor back in the early 1900’s when this was built.
What Next?
Joan Miró Park is a great area to take your family to enjoy an authentic piece of art history in Barcelona. After the park and Las Arenas, head right around the corner to Montjuic and see the beautiful views of Barcelona!
Visiting Barcelona with Kids? Here you will find things to do in Barcelona with your family!
