Spring is on its way and the great weather encourages us to explore the city on foot. Why not take advantage of the sunshine over the spring break and discover the works of public art close to the Articket museums and which turn Barcelona into an open-air museum. Because although Gaudí is indeed one of the undisputed stars of the city, there is so much more street art to discover!
Tribute to Picasso by Antoni Tàpies, in Passeig de Picasso
The assemblage of modernist furniture that is inside this large cube represents the well-to-do Barcelona classes of the time when Picasso lived in the city. The iron beams that cross the cube are a symbol of an industrial, working-class and rebellious Barcelona. At the bottom of the sculpture you can clearly read, “Painting is not made to decorate apartments. It’s an offensive and defensive weapon against the enemy”. With this piece, Antoni Tàpies pays tribute to the Málaga painter and his conception of art as an element with a social function. Visit the Fundació Antoni Tàpies with your Articket and celebrate the 100th anniversary of the artist’s birth!
Desolation by Josep Llimona, in Parc de la Ciutadella
Look carefully at the sculpture in the centre of the Parc de la Ciutadella lake. It is one of the best-known works by Josep Llimona, considered to be Catalan Modernism’s finest sculptor. In 1907 Llimona sculpted the figure of a naked woman emerging from the marble block, similar to the Renaissance sculptures, with her face covered by her hair. The piece is delicate and conveys melancholy, loneliness and, as its name suggests, desolation. This work is a copy. If you would like to see the original, you just have to visit the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya with your Articket, where you will find it alongside other masterpieces of Catalan art.
Friezes on the façade of the Architects’ Association of Catalonia headquarters by Pablo Picasso
Picasso created these friezes for the headquarters of the Architects’ Association of Catalonia in 1962. The most emblematic, and also the most visible from Plaça Nova, is known as the Fris dels gegants and represents elements of Catalonia’s popular festivals. Do you recognise the giants, the dances and the palms of Palm Sunday? Get closer to the façades on Carrer dels Capellans and Carrer dels Arcs or visit the Picasso Room of the COAC and enjoy the other four friezes! If seeing a work of Picasso in the open air seems like a luxury to you, just wait till you visit the Museu Picasso just a few minutes walk from here.
La ola by Jorge Oteiza, in Plaça dels Àngels
This huge wave of black aluminium, by the Basque sculptor Jorge Oteiza, is one of the most iconic works of the MACBA Collection. The piece, fully integrated into the alternative style that characterises Plaça dels Àngels, reflects on the power of light and shadow and its relationship with the space it occupies. Note how the contrast between the dark colour of the wave and the intense white of the museum building highlights the sinuosity of the work. If you like what you see, don’t miss out on your chance to visit the nearby CCCB with your Articket, or indeed the MACBA, where you will discover, among other fascinating works of contemporary art, Rinzen by Antoni Tàpies which welcomes visitors while connecting the interior and exterior of the museum.
Pla de l’Os mosaic, by Joan Miró, on La Rambla
You are walking over the work that Joan Miró designed in 1976 to welcome everyone who arrives into Barcelona by sea. In the past, many travellers docked at the port and made their way up La Rambla until they reached the middle of the capital through the gate of the city wall that was located here. The work also evokes the artist’s relationship with his surroundings, and in actual fact, Joan Miró was born in Passatge del Crèdit, very close to where you are. The circular shapes and primary colours – blue, yellow and red – capture the language of the artist. Don’t forget to visit the Fundació Joan Miró with your passport, where you’ll discover the creative universe of one of the world’s most important contemporary artists!
Dell’arte by Jaume Plensa, in the Jardí de les Escultures
When you visit the Fundació Joan Miró take the opportunity to walk around its privileged surroundings among nature. Among other spaces, right next to the Jardí de les Escultures, you’ll find one of the newest and most fascinating parks in Montjuïc, perfect for stopping to enjoy the contemporary art hidden there. Perejaume, Tom Carr, Sergi Aguilar, Pep Duran and Jaume Plensa, with his unique work Dell’arte, are some of the great names that you can enjoy here for free. An open-air museum that art lovers shouldn’t miss, from where you’ll get to enjoy a different perspective of the rationalist building of the Fundació Joan Miró!
And finally: a map with the best public art in Barcelona along with your Articket
As you can see, authentic jewels of contemporary art await you just a few minutes from the Articket museums. That’s why in the reissue of the Articket passport we have included a map where you will find 12 works that shouldn’t be missed on your most arty route through Barcelona.
What other reason do you need to get your Articket? We’ll tell you a secret that we’ll soon be sharing: from March 24 to April 24, when you purchase your Articket passport you’ll get a free totebag that the Snoop studio has designed to celebrate our 25th anniversary. Until stocks last!
