The Wounded Star (Catalan: L’Estel Ferit) by Rebecca Horn is one of several contemporary sculptures which were installed on Barcelona’s waterfront in preparation for the 1992 Olympics. The rusty iron tower is a homage to the rundown chiringuitos (beach bars) and seafood stalls which stood here before the area was refurbished and gentrified in the MORE»
Balcons de Barcelona (Barcelona Balconies) is a large scale trompe l’oil style mural painted on the south-west elevation of an apartment building in the l’Eixample neighbourhood, near the Sagrada Familia. Part of a campaign called Barcelona posa’t guapa (Barcelona get pretty) the mural was painted in 1992 during the in the run up to the MORE»
Marià Fortuny i Marsal was a renowned 19th Century Catalan painter whose best known works are on display in the National Art Museum of Barcelona (MNAC) and the Prado museum in Madrid. Born in Reus in 1838, Fortuny studied art at the la LLotja art school in Barcelona before moving to Rome to continue his MORE»
A few metres from the Rambla del Mar walkway, two pristine white figures float silently in the waters of Barcelona harbour. The 3.55m polyester and fibreglass sculptures, their gaze turned up to the heavens, were designed by Robert Llimós and built by local shipbuilder Marina 92. The Stargazer (Catalan: Miraesteles) statues are 2 of a MORE»
One of my favourite walking routes in Barcelona is around the historic Port Vell harbour from the Christopher Columbus monument to the Barceloneta beach. Along the way you can enjoy views of the harbour filled with yachts and historic tall ships, take a look at the classic architecture and admire the diverse collection of contemporary sculptures MORE»
The El Tauró del Carmel shark mural was painted in 2009 by Italian artist Blu as part of the Influencers street art festival. The 25m long green shark is made up of 100€ notes and represents the insatiable appetite of capitalism which is set to consume us all (Spain’s financial crisis started in 2008). Although now MORE»
In preparation for the Olympic Games of 1992, Barcelona’s seafront and port were transformed from a largely neglected industrial area into one of the most attractive waterfronts in Europe. The whole area was given a facelift and a new marina was built as well as apartment buildings to house the athletes. The old railway tracks MORE»
Panorama is a 28m high composite portrait which was painted on the facade of the Centre Civic de Sant Martí as part of the 2015 Open Walls Conference. Cuban born artist Jorge Rodríguez-Gerda combined elements of 10 local women to create a portrait that represents the neighbourhood as a whole. The idea behind the composite portrait MORE»
Marc is one of a pair of nearly identical statues by Robert Llimós portraying a colourful, genderless, neo-expressionist human figure holding a large picture frame which it is looking through. The sculpture was inaugurated in 1997 and it’s title is a play on words. Marc means frame in Catalan and the statue is dedicated to the artist’s MORE»
Who isn’t familiar with the story of David and Goliath? The epic tale of a young shepherd boy who, armed with only a slingshot and a few stones, killed a fearsome giant and went on to become king of Israel. Over the centuries the story has become a synonym for the struggle between good and MORE»
Approaching the kiss of freedom mural in Plaça d’Isidre Nonell you’d be forgiven for assuming that it’s a large graffiti. As you get closer you’ll realise that it is in fact a mosaic made up of thousands of tiny ceramic tiles. Each individual tile is printed with a photo of a person, a place, a MORE»
This bronze statue of Antoni Viladomat I Manalt by Catalan artist Torquat Tasso was one of a series eight monuments depicting Catalan heroes inaugurated in 1886. In 1959 most of the statues were melted down and used to make a replacement for the statue of Mare de Déu de la Mercè which tops the church MORE»