Barcelona's Art Scene

In Parc Joan Miró you meet a tall, colorful sculpture by Joan Miró that rises above the trees like a signal. It stands 22 meters high and is clad in bright ceramic trencadís laid by his collaborator Joan Gardy Artigas. The work was dedicated in 1983 in the park that occupies the old city slaughterhouse grounds, a quiet green space with palms and pines a short walk from Plaça d’Espanya.

In the stylish El Born neighborhood, you can step into this small but mighty analogue camera shop and community space. The philosophy here is wonderfully simple: learn by shooting, developing, and sharing. Inside you see film, cameras and accessories, and a weekly rhythm of workshops that bring the local film scene together. They also handle developing and repairs, so you can drop a roll and pick up tips at the counter.

You simply can’t miss this bold, striking building in Glòries. It’s the Disseny Hub, which locals affectionately call "la grapadora" (the stapler). Inside this architectural landmark, you find Barcelona’s superb design museum. It opened in 2014, finally unifying the city’s important historic collections under one roof. The bright interior is defined by long windows and wide ramps, and the galleries beautifully bring together everything from decorative arts, textiles and fashion to graphic and product design.

In the Raval you find a cultural center inside the old Casa de la Caritat, redesigned in the 1990s by Helio Piñón and Albert Viaplana. A glass façade leans toward the courtyard and reflects the rooftops, linking historic brick vaults with clean, bright galleries. The program looks at how we live now: exhibitions, debates, film and city ideas under one roof.

By the waterfront you meet a bright pop-art head that greets the sea and the city. Roy Lichtenstein made it for the 1992 Olympic Games, but in doing so, he gave a clear and beautiful nod to Catalonia’s own art history. Glazed ceramic tiles in red, blue, yellow, black and white give a clear nod to Barcelona’s trencadís. It rises above Port Vell with clean lines that feel playful and monumental at the same time.

In Eixample you find an old coal house that became a city symbol. Built in the 1860s and later occupied by neighbours and artists, it turned famous when a giant hot-air balloon appeared on the facade. The building has since been restored and the story now belongs to the city’s recent memory.

In Sant Andreu you find a small front-garden world made by the self-taught artist Isidre Castells. Along the wall and inside the garden he created two-dimensional replicas of Catalan landmarks with mosaics and shells. Sagrada Família, Montserrat and many more appear in miniature. He worked here for about twenty years, starting in the mid 1980s, and the site is still cared for by his family. You view it from the street.

One of Barcelona’s most impressive pieces of street art is The Kiss of Freedom, which consists of hundreds of small photo mosaics that together illustrate two mouths in a kiss. The work is created by artist Joan Fontcuberta, who works from the concept “The world begins with every kiss”. The work was purchased by the newspaper El Periódico, which asked readers to submit a photograph of a moment of freedom. The artist collected the images and assembled them into the final work, published in 2014 to commemorate the fallen during the War of Succession. You’ll find the 8 x 3.8 metre piece in a small square, close to the cathedral. Also note the sign next door quoting Oliver Wendell Holmes: “The sound of a kiss is not as loud as a cannon, but its echo lasts much longer.”

In Sant Andreu you find a quiet neo-Gothic church with an early work by Antoni Gaudí at your feet. Joan Torras Guardiola designed the church and asked his former student to draw the floor mosaic. It runs along the central nave and transept with floral and geometric motifs and the initials J and M from the original convent school.

In the heart of El Raval you find Barcelona’s museum of contemporary art. The white building by Richard Meier opened in the 1990s and fills with daylight through long glass walls and ramps. The collection looks from the second half of the 20th century to today with Catalan and international artists. You see installations, video and changing exhibitions. Outside, Plaça dels Àngels is a meeting place for skaters.