Miro, Calder, and Modern Art
Marking the opening of Miró and the United States, this historic evening features a conversation between art historian Juan Punyet Miró, grandson of Joan Miró, and Sandy Rower, grandson of Alexander Calder, moderated by Phillips Collection’s Chief Curator, Elsa Smithgall. Together, they will explore the relationship between Miró and Calder, their lasting influence on one another, and the enduring legacy of their work in shaping modern art.
IMAGE: Juan Punyet Miró (left) and Sandy Rower (right)
Joan Punyet Miró (Palma de Mallorca, 1968) is an art historian. He holds a degree in Art History from New York University, and has published several books on Joan Miró, such as Miró: Le peintre aux étoiles (Paris 1993), Miró: L’atelier (Paris 1996), Al voltant de Miró (Barcelona 2014), Miró & Music (Barcelona 2017) and co-author of The Miró Eye (Madrid 2015) with Jean Marie del Moral. Along with Joan Gardy Artigas, he is the co-author of the catalogue raisonné on Ceramics. Miró – Artigas (Paris 2007).
He curated the exhibition Calder in the Fundació Joan Miró de Barcelona in 1997, Joan Miró: Graphic Work at the Fundació Tren de l’Art Ferrocarril de Sóller in Palma (2014) and Pablo Picasso and Joan Miró: The Story of a Friendship at Can Prunera Museu Modernista de Sóller (2017), and co-curated Joan Miró. Sculptures 1928-1982 at Centro Botín in Santander (2018).
He collaborated and acted as a consultant in numerous Joan Miró exhibitions in Toronto, London, Baden-Baden, New York, Paris, Taipei, Santiago de Chile, Mantova, Istanbul, Dusseldorf, Seoul, and recently Montecarlo or Denmark in amongst others, as well as writing essays for the accompanying catalogues.
As the late painter's grandson, Joan Punyet Miró is Managing Director of the Successió Miró, as well as Vice-president of the Association for the Defense of Miró’s Oeuvre (ADOM), and Patron of the Fundació Miró in Barcelona, of the Fundació Pilar i Joan Miró a Mallorca, and the Fundació Mas Miró in Mont-roig.
Alexander S. C. Rower is the grandson of Alexander Calder and the president of the Calder Foundation, New York. Rower created the nonprofit organization in 1987, at a time when the concept of artist foundations was almost nonexistent. Since then, he has documented more than 22,000 works by Calder, established an extensive archive dedicated to all aspects of the artist’s practice, and collaborated on over 100 exhibitions worldwide. Rower serves as vice president of the board of directors for the Atelier Calder residency program in Saché and on the board of trustees for Calder Gardens in Philadelphia.
Photo by Maria Robledo © 2026 Calder Foundation, New York / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
