Signed by Roy Lichtenstein, this colourful, undulating 15-metre-tall face is impossible to miss. Almost straight out of a comic book, the Cara de Barcelona is a tribute to modern art, with its mix of materials, colours and techniques. Facing the Moll de la Fusta, the sculpture not only winks at today’s passers-by, but also at the Barcelona of the 1990s – a city ready to greet the world with optimism as it prepared to host the 1992 Olympic Games.
This is good to know
Roy Lichtenstein had never visited Barcelona when he created this sculpture, yet that didn’t stop him from crafting a pop tribute with a distinctly local twist, resulting in a playful reinterpretation of Catalan Modernisme.
The sculpture is best appreciated from a short distance. Much like Lichtenstein’s paintings, it’s worth stepping back to take in the dialogue between volume, colour and the surroundings.
