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Barcelona's Art Scene

Discover Barcelona's art scene from famous art museums to alternative galleries, street art and art shops

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@hanneolsen
Selected by
@hanneolsen

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Spain - Barcelona

El món neix en cada besada

One of Barcelona’s most impressive pieces of street art is The Kiss of Freedom, ...

Selected by @hanneolsen
Spain - Barcelona

El món neix en cada besada

Address: Carrer dels Capellans, 16, Ciutat Vella, 08002 Barcelona, Spain

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.”

  • Known for:
    A photomosaic by Joan Fontcuberta that forms a large kiss.

  • Why go:
    One of Barcelona’s most impressive pieces of street art, made from moments of freedom sent by locals.

  • Vibe:
    Intimate and photogenic. A small square close to the cathedral.

  • Tips:
    Look closely at the many small photographs. Read the nearby quote and take a quiet moment before you move on.

Other spots by hanneolsen
Picasso Museum Barcelona
Explore more than 4,200 works by Pablo Picasso in a cluster of beautiful mansions in La Ribera. Barcelona shaped him, and you see it here: student drawings from the Escola Llotja, the El Quatre Gats years, Paris, and the Blue and Rose periods. The museum opened in 1963 on the initiative of his friend Jaime Sabarté and has grown ever since.
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El món neix en cada besada
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.”
Banksy Museum
You'll find this fascinating cultural space dedicated to the enigmatic street artist Banksy right in the center of Barcelona. It’s an incredibly smart way to experience his work. Inside, the exhibits feature large, life-size recreations of famous murals, prints, and photo essays that place the pieces perfectly in context. The rooms are deliberately dark and quiet, using projections and short, insightful texts to explain precisely where and how these powerful images originally appeared around the world. Since new elements are added year round, each visit feels fresh and unique.
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Fundació Antoni Tàpies
Inside a beautiful modernist building by Lluís Domènech i Montaner you find a museum devoted to Antoni Tàpies and to modern and contemporary art. The house once held the Montaner i Simón publishing company and reopened as the foundation in 1990 after Tàpies created it in 1984. Before you even step inside, remember to look up. The instantly recognizable sculpture, Cloud and Chair, sits playfully yet powerfully on the roof, marking the skyline and welcoming visitors. Inside there are changing exhibitions, a strong core of Tàpies works and a library that supports research.
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Museu del Modernisme de Barcelona
In the beautiful Eixample district, you can discover this focused museum devoted exclusively to Catalan Modernisme. It is housed inside a perfectly restored factory building from the early 1900s by the architect Enric Sagnier, a space once connected to the city’s textile trade. The museum brings together a stunning collection of furniture, painting, sculpture, and decorative arts from the movement. This entire project grew out of the private collection of antiques dealers Fernando Pinós and Maria Guirao.
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Plaça de Mossèn Jacint Verdaguer
In Eixample you arrive at a broad square where Avinguda Diagonal meets Passeig de Sant Joan. At the center rises a noucentista monument to the poet Jacint Verdaguer: a tall column crowned by his bronze figure, set on an architectural base with allegories of poetry and a ring of bas-reliefs from his works. The ensemble was designed in the early 1900s by architect Josep Maria Pericàs with sculpture by Joan Borrell i Nicolau. The reliefs are by the brothers Llucià and Miquel Oslé. A fountain frames the monument and the metro stop sits just beside it.
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Museu d’Art Contemporani de Barcelona
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.
Fàbrica de Creació Fabra i Coats
In Sant Andreu you step into a former textile factory that now lives as a home for artists and makers. Red brick buildings, a tall chimney and wide courtyards set the scene. Inside you find studios, rehearsal rooms and the Fabra i Coats Centre d’Art Contemporani with changing exhibitions. It is a living place where work is created and then shown.
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Parròquia de Sant Pacià
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.
The Coal Factory
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.
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About

@hanneolsen

I am a travel journalist specializing in Spain. I often work and live in Spain, which I consider my second home. As a cultural traveler, my curiosity drives me to continually seek out and convey the many stories that help define Spain, its people, and their culture. In addition to running Spain by Hanne, I also contribute travel articles and photos to Politiken and other Danish media. Received the Danish Media Award at the Spain Talks Awards 2025, organized by Turespaña, for a travel feature on Benidorm focusing on sustainable tourism.

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