The Music of Miró
This playlist by Joan Miró’s grandson, Joan Punyet Miró, is inspired by the artist’s life and work.
Joan Punyet Miró, MoMA
Mar 15, 2019
It was 39 years ago when, in my grandparents’ house, I recall hearing music coming down the stairs from the library above, where my grandfather would seclude himself to read and listen to music—his other two passions beside his art.
Inspired by his childhood memories, Joan Punyet Miró, the grandson of artist Joan Miró, took on the challenge of understanding his grandfather through his love of music. Punyet Miró cataloged his grandfather’s vast collection of records—some with covers Miró designed—mapping sounds to colors and energies. His research led him to publish Miró & Music, a comprehensive analysis of the music the artist listened to and lived with. For Punyet Miró, music, by composers from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to John Cage, helps expand a viewer’s experience of his grandfather’s art, “practically making him or her part of the piece.” In this spirit, Punyet Miró developed the playlist below, which pairs specific works in MoMA’s exhibition Joan Miró: Birth of the World, with musical compositions beloved by Miró.
Click the links in the captions underneath each painting to hear the song paired with that work. Scroll to the bottom for an aggregated playlist.
Portrait of Enric Cristòfol Ricart accompanied by Gymnopedies, I. “Lent” by Erik Satie
The Table (Still Life with Rabbit) accompanied by “Angelina” by Cobla Barcelona
Still Life—Glove and Newspaper accompanied by 3 Morceaux en forme de poire, IES 38: VI. En plus by Erik Satie
Still Life I accompanied by String Quartet No. 2, “Intimate, Spacious” by Ben Johnston
The Hunter (Catalan Landscape) accompanied by The Four Seasons, “Summer,” Presto by Antonio Vivaldi
The Family accompanied by Sonata for Two Pianos and Percussion Sz110: III Allegro non troppo by Béla Bartók
The Birth of the World accompanied by The Rite of Spring, “First Part: Adoration of the Earth, Introduction” by Igor Stravinsky
Person Throwing a Stone at a Bird accompanied by “Dance for Burgess” by Edgard Varèse
Dutch Interior (I) accompanied by Ouverture [No.2] in B Minor, BWV 1067: VII. Battinerie by Johann Sebastian Bach
Portrait of Mistress Mills in 1750 accompanied by Concerto for Two Pianos in A-flat Major, MWV O6: III. Allegro vivace by Felix Mendelssohn
Relief Construction accompanied by “Kontakte” by Karlheinz Stockhausen
Object accompanied by Mikrophonie I, Work No. 15 by Karlheinz Stockhausen
“Hirondelle Amour” accompanied by Symphony No. 40 in G Minor, K. 550: I. Molto allegro by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Painting accompanied by “Invenció Movil II” by Josep Maria Mestress Quadreny
Woman (Opera Singer) accompanied by Selva morale e spirituale, SV 252: “O ciechi, ciechi” by Claudio Monteverdi
Head of a Man accompanied by “Aria with Fontana Mix” by John Cage
Help Spain accompanied by Concierto de Aranjuez, II: Adagio by Joaquín Rodrigo
Still Life with Old Shoe accompanied by “Metastasis for 61 Musicians” by Iannis Xenakis
The Escape Ladder accompanied by Suite bergamasque, I: Prélude. Moderato by Claude Debussy
The Beautiful Bird Revealing the Unknown to a Pair of Lovers accompanied by Suite bergamasque, L. 75: III. “Clair de lune” by Claude Debussy
Mural Painting accompanied by Piano Concerto No. 5 in E-flat Major, Op. 73, “Emperor”: I. Allegro by Ludwig van Beethoven
Mask accompanied by Symphonie “Les Echanges” by George Gruntz
Songs selected by Joan Punyet Miró
Joan Miró: Birth of the World is on view through June 15, 2019. Buy tickets today.
