The Joan Miró Foundation opened to the public on 10 June 1975. It had its origins in Miró’s first large exhibition in Barcelona, in 1968, at the Antic Hospital de la Santa Creu. Several figures from the world of the arts saw the opportunity to have a space in Barcelona dedicated to the artist’s work. However, in accordance with his wishes, the new institution was also to promote and publicise the work of contemporary artists in all its aspects.At a time when artistic and cultural life was certainly minimal, the Foundation brought a refreshing vitality, together with a new, more dynamic concept of an art museum in which Miró’s art was shown alongside a wide variety of creative works by other artists – a fact that is reflected in the Foundation’s full name of Centre for the Study of Contemporary Art.