Barcelona in Focus - Discover Barcelona: Experience the Best of Barcelona - page 539

Public Art
The streets, squares and parks of Barcelona are littered with the signatures of artists past
and present, famous and unknown. They range from Modernista sculptors, such as Josep
Llimona, to international star sculptors, such as Roy Lichtenstein and Fernando Botero. Pi-
casso and Joan Miró both left lasting reminders in the city.
Since the return of democracy in the late 1970s, the town hall has not been shy about en-
couraging the placement of sometimes grandiose and often incomprehensible contempor-
ary works in the city's public spaces. Reactions range from admiration to perplexity.
Justly proud of its rich street-art heritage, the council has created an extensive archive of
it all on the internet at www.bcn.cat (click on Art Públic, under Blog Barcelona). The site is
rich in description of hundreds of items scattered across the city, and includes commentary
on the history of the city through its street art. You can search particular items by district,
period and key word.
The best thing about art in the streets is that it is open to all comers.