Joan Brossa, poet, playwright and visual artist, was above all a lover of art in all its forms. He experimented with different genres and, throughout his life, accumulated lots of related documentation. Such were the mountains of papers and different materials accumulated in his first studio in Carrer Balmes that he had to rent a second studio to continue storing his "little treasures".

In 1999, a year after the death of the artist and following his wishes, the Fundació Joan Brossa (Joan Brossa Foundation) was created to safeguard his documentary legacy and to make it as widely known as possible, placing an emphasis on its interdisciplinary character. The Foundation promotes the research, editing, reissue, translation, representation, and exhibitions of the work of Brossa.

Among the Foundation's assets there is the library of Joan Brossa, made up of about 6,000 books, numerous magazines and exhibition catalogues. These are in addition to the personal archive of the poet, composed of about 52,000 documents of various types such as manuscripts of his artistic and literary work, facsimiles, galley proofs, correspondence, posters, press clippings, photographs, etc. Joan Brossa's art collection also belongs to the Foundation, among which there are his own works, as well as works by artists such as Joan Miró and Antoni Tàpies.

In 2012, custody of the collection, the archive and the library was given over to MACBA (Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art) to ensure its conservation and allow it to be made more widely-known. Three years later, the headquarters of the Foundation was moved - which had been in La Seca Espai Brossa - to the first floor of the MACBA Study Centre.