According to legend, Barcelona was founded by the Greek God Heracles, who, together with his brother Hermes, accompanied Jason and the Argonauts, searching for the Golden Fleece. The brothers set sail with a fleet of …
Desolation (Catalan: Desconsol) is one of the best known and most evocative statues by Catalan sculptor Josep Llimona i Brugera. Born in Barcelona in 1863, Josep Llimona is widely considered to be the most influential …
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 …
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 …
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 …
Spanish artist Alfredo Lanz has 2 sculptures on display near Barcelona’s waterfront. The better known and largest of the two is Homage to swimming (Catalan: Homenatge a la Natació) which is located in Plaça del …
If you arrived in Barcelona by ferry or cruise ship you will already be familiar with the Onades (waves) sculpture by Andreu Alfaro Hernández. Likewise, if you took a taxi from the airport to the city centre, …
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 …
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 …
Tucked away beside the north entrance to Barcelona cathedral there is a small stone sculpture of an extremely hairy knight fighting what looks like a griffin. The knight is Wilfred the Hairy (Guifré el Pilòs) who …
Two of Barcelona’s most photographed sculptures bear the unmistakable hallmark of Colombian artist Fernando Botero. According to Wikipedia the artist’s trademark style is called Boterism and depicts people and animals in “exaggerated volume”. The Cat …
The main attraction at Joan Miró Park is the 22m high Woman and Bird Sculpture (Dona I Ocell). This somewhat phallic tiled statue was constructed in 1983 just a few months before Miro’s death. Although …