General Council Acquires Rare 1932 Joaquim Mir Sketch of Casa de la Vall

The General Council has acquired a 1932 pencil sketch titled *La Casa de la Vall* by Catalan artist Joaquim Mir for €9,405 through direct purchase from the Art al Set gallery.

Measuring 23 by 33 centimetres, the drawing served as a preparatory study for Mir's larger 1933 oil painting *La Revolta*, both centring on the Casa de la Vall parliamentary building. Created during Mir's first Andorran stay from late September to early December 1932—while he lodged at a home in Engordany—the sketch depicts the building's pre-1962 renovation architecture without figures. The subsequent painting, owned privately and sized 89 by 116 centimetres, adds the dramatic crowd scenes from 1933 suffrage protests, including young Andorrans occupying the building to demand universal male suffrage, public council sessions, and administrative modernisation. These events sparked councillor dismissals, Fhasa worker strikes, activation of the home guard, and intervention by French gendarmes from 18 August to 9 October 1933. Historian Francesc Miralles, in the catalogue for the 2002-2003 exhibition *Joaquim Mir a Andorra*, described the sketch as a key preparatory note, previously unknown to him and unexhibited until now.

The Syndicature described the purchase as a rare opportunity to enrich the council's art collection and Andorra's cultural patrimony, noting it as one of only two known Mir works featuring the Casa de la Vall. The piece will undergo conservation checks and possible restoration before public display.

Meanwhile, *La Revolta* remains on loan in the syndic's office at Casa de la Vall, viewable until 26 March as part of the Constitution Day open-doors period. Officials confirmed no plans to acquire the pricier painting, valued at €60,000 to €140,000.