The "Tapís de Tarragona" by Miró and Royo is restored

The Diputació de Tarragona has begun restoration work on the Tarragona Tapestry by Joan Miró and Josep Royo, one of the most emblematic pieces of art exhibited by the Museum of Modern Art of the Diputació since 2007 and owned by the Red Cross. The intervention will be carried out by conservator and restorer specialized in tapestries and fabrics Marina Blanch, a professional who has also recently worked on the restoration of the Tapestry of the Joan Miró Foundation and the Tapestry of the ”la Caixa” Foundation , both works by Miró and Roy The president of the Provincial Council, Noemí Llauradó; the president of the Red Cross of Tarragona, Ramon Grau; the vice-president and Deputy for Culture of the Provincial Council, Joan Josep Garcia, and the vice-president of the Red Cross of Tarragona, Isabel Miró, attended a visit on March 14 to learn about the work being carried out there.

Specifically, with this intervention, the front and back of the tapestry are cleaned by aspiration and suction of the water in a controlled manner with the help of brushes, combs and wooden needle to reach the most compromised areas, as well as wool volumes are recovered using cold steam. To be able to access the reverse side, it will also be necessary to unsew the lining of the piece always maintaining the shape and the stitches to be able to place it later. The restoration work is expected to last about three weeks.

During the visit, Noemí Llauradó highlighted the importance of this work and the need for its conservation. "The Miró-Royo tandem made possible a magnificent work that in a short time will look even better thanks to these cleaning works that are being carried out", he assured. The president also indicated "the duty and responsibility of the Museum of Modern Art and the Provincial Council to maintain our heritage in optimal conditions so that it can be enjoyed by all citizens".

For his part, the provincial president of the Red Cross in Tarragona, Ramon Grau, emphasized that "for the Red Cross it is very important that the public can enjoy this piece and that, with the collaboration of all, give it the visibility and recognition it deserves". The organization received the work from Miró in 1970, as a donation in gratitude for the attention given to his daughter after a traffic accident by Dr. Orozco, who would be the first director of the Red Cross Hospital in Tarragona.

The 'Tapís de Tarragona', a work of 2.8 by 3.90 metres

The Tarragona Tapestry by Joan Miró and Josep Royo is a textile piece about 2.8 meters high by about 3.90 meters wide, made with the tapestry technique on a high warp loom, worked and knotted manual with wool, cotton, linen, hemp and jute threads, among others. The tapestry was made according to the experimental technique that Miró developed with Josep Royo where the wools of different thicknesses and the hair knots configure a work that combines straight shapes and curves with Miró's most genuine colors and graphics. The restoration of this work coincides with the Josep Royo exhibition. An open form that falls under weight that hosts the Museum of Modern Art of the Tarragona County Council from February 2nd until next May 28th, an exhibition that vindicates the figure of Josep Royo as a reference textile artist, more beyond his collaboration with artists such as Miró or Chillida.