The streets of Barcelona are often likened to an open-air art gallery. The city’s parks, plazas, and open spaces are filled with a diverse collection of sculptures of various styles.
Alongside classic monuments dedicated to historical figures, politicians, and the ruling elite, there are also many more unconventional and surprising statues that will make you stop and think.
In this post, we’ll uncover ten of the city’s most quirky and unusual statues, all of which can be seen free of charge and are worth adding to your list of things to see and do in Barcelona.
1. The Ass Monument by Eduardo Úrculo
First on our list of quirky statues is the ass monument by Eduardo Úrculo.
The seven-metre-high monument, which depicts the lower half of a woman’s body, is located in a small park in the Vila Olimpica and is a tribute to Santiago Roldan.
Roldan and Úrculo were friends, and when the unusual memorial was unveiled in 1997, Roldan’s widow was said to have been delighted with the statue.
During the inauguration ceremony, Úrculo said of the monument:
I decided on this ass with airs of a Greek column that evokes the Mediterranean and its hedonistic culture, and that is in tune with Santiago’s way of being. Moreover, I see the ass as a global homeland that dissolves borders between the masculine and the feminine. As far as I know, Barcelona will be the first Western city to have a monument to the ass.
One can only assume that Roldan and his family were in on the joke and were happy to be associated with what has to be one of Barcelona’s most unusual monuments.
2. Gambrinus by Javier Mariscal
Perhaps the best-known monument on this list is Gambrinus, aka the giant lobster statue by Javier Mariscal.
The ten-metre statue, which depicts an oversized orange prawn or crayfish, was originally part of the decor of the Gasmbrinus seafood restaurant.
When the restaurant closed, the giant fibreglass crustacean was purchased by Barcelona City Council and restored before being installed on the waterfront next to Port Vell Harbour, where it takes pride of place.
3. Woman and Bird by Joan Miró
Barcelona-born artist Joan Miró is best known for his colourful abstract paintings and murals, several of which are displayed in Barcelona’s public spaces.
The twenty-two-metre Woman and Bird Sculpture (Catalan: Dona I Ocell) was inaugurated in 1983 and represents the link between the Earth and the universe.
The statue is part of a series of three works of art that Miró donated to his hometown and takes pride of place in Joan Miró Park, which is located near Plaça d’Espanya.
4. A Room Were it Always Rains by Juan Muñoz
Next on the list is A Room Were It Always Rains by Juan Muñoz.
Part of a collection of works commissioned for the Barcelona Olympics, the sculpture consists of five expressionless bronze figures inside what looks like an oversized, rusty birdcage.
Muñoz intended that the sculpture would include a sprinkler system that would create a continuous downpour of rain. However, this was never completed, and the raincoat-clad figures stand sheltering from the sun in the shadow of four large trees near the beach on Barcelona’s waterfront.
5. Andrés Nagel’s dragon sculpture
Dragons are a popular motif in Barcelona and can be seen decorating buildings throughout the city.
It is estimated that the city is currently home to at least four hundred dragons, the largest of which is the sculpture by Andrés Nagel in the Parc del Espanya Industrial, near Barcelona Sants train station.
The oversized steel dragon, which weighs approximately 150 tonnes, serves as both a viewpoint and a slide for children to play on. However, to be honest, both the statue and the park are a bit run down, and there are better places to take your kids to play.
6. David & Goliath by Antoni Llena i Font
David and Goliath is an abstract statue by Antoni Llena i Font inspired by the Somarrostro shanty town that occupied the nearby beach from 1882 until it was torn down in 1966.
The statue consists of a large white metal rectangle supported by three thin stainless steel legs. The rectangle represents laundry blowing in the wind and symbolises life in the shanty town.
Four slots are cut in the sheet, creating a ghost-like face that bears witness to the loss and reminds us that, in this case, Goliath won the battle.
7. The Fish (El Peix) by Frank Gehry
El Peix is a 52-meter-long steel structure created by Canadian architect Frank Gehry, which stands in front of the Hotel Arts on Barcelona’s seafront.
The fish-shaped canopy was created in 1992 when Barcelona’s seafront area was renovated for the Olympic games.
8. The Thinker of Poblenou
Tucked away in the Poblenou neighbourhood stands this full-sized polystyrene replica of Auguste Rodin’s masterpiece, The Thinker.
Referred to as The Thinker of Poblenou, the statue was created by a company that specialized in theatrical props and, for many years, it adorned the roof of the company’s workshop.
When the company closed and its workshop was torn down to make way for apartment buildings, the neighbours decided to save the statue which was relocated to another building further down the street. The owner of the building that now houses the statue even went so far as to repaint it to match the statue.
9. Matches by Claes Oldenburg
Els Mistos (The Matches) is a colourful pop art sculpture by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen in Barcelona’s Vall d’Hebron neighbourhood.
The monument consists of a giant book of crumpled matches, one of which burns with a blue flame. Other discarded matches lie on the pavement near the main statue.
The sculpture is periodically repainted to ensure its colours remain as bold as when it was inaugurated in 1992.
10. A Flirty Giraffe and a Thinking Bull by Josep Granyer
Last on our list of quirky statues you shouldn’t miss in Barcelona is a pair of bronze sculptures created by Josep Granyer that were installed on Rambla de Catalunya in 1972.
The statues were part of a series of humorous statues commissioned as part of a campaign to save the area from city planners, who planned to convert the attractive pedestrianised avenue into a busy thoroughfare.
Map of Quirky Statues in Barcelona
Carrer de Muntadas, 1, Barcelona
Playa de la Barceloneta
Carrer de Ramon Trias Fargas, 2, Barcelona
Carrer de Tarragona, 76, Barcelona
Av. del Cardenal Vidal i Barraquer, 32, Barcelona
Passatge d’Olivé, 17, Barcelona
Pg. de Colom, Barcelona
Av. del Litoral, Barcelona
Rambla de Catalunya, Barcelona
Rambla de Catalunya, Barcelona
Av. d’Icària, 121, Barcelona
I hope you enjoyed discovering these unique statues. If you know of any other quirky sculptures that should be added to the list, please let me know in the comments section below.
