Dona i Ocell
Encyclopedia
Woman and Bird is a 22-metre high sculpture by Joan Miró
located in the Parc Joan Miró on the road Carrer de Tarragona
in Barcelona
. The sculpture was covered in tiles by the artist's collaborator Joan Gardy Artigas
. The sculpture is part of a trilogy that was commissioned to welcome visitors to Barcelona.
. Miró was not able to attend the opening as he was too ill and he died less than a year later.
It was Miró's design but Artigas was responsible for adding the tiles as he had done for Miró's earlier mural
in Ludwigshafen, Germany. Dona i Ocell was part a publicly commissioned trilogy that was intended to welcome visitors to Barcelona as they arrived by the sea, from the air or in this case by land. Miró had been born in the city in 1893 and he was a champion for Catalonian culture. Car passengers that arrive in Barcelona can see the strong colours of the tiles which are indicative of Miró's style. This work was the last of the three sculptures that welcomed Barcelona's tourists. The first was at the airport and it was commissioned in 1968. The intermediate work was a large mosaic in La Rambla in Barcelona.
is also known as Parc de l'Escorxador which translates as Slaughterhouse Park as this was the previous use for the site.
The park is divided into two distinct areas. The lower area contains plants which includes flowers as well as eucalyptus, pine and palm trees. The higher area is paved and has an artificial lake from which the sculpture rises at one corner.
Joan Miró
Joan Miró i Ferrà was a Spanish Catalan painter, sculptor, and ceramicist born in Barcelona.Earning international acclaim, his work has been interpreted as Surrealism, a sandbox for the subconscious mind, a re-creation of the childlike, and a manifestation of Catalan pride...
located in the Parc Joan Miró on the road Carrer de Tarragona
Carrer de Tarragona, Barcelona
Carrer de Tarragona is a street in Barcelona. A long street lined with high-rises, it serves as the border between Hostafrancs, in the district of Sants-Montjuïc, and Eixample. This street runs from Plaça d'Espanya towards Plaça dels Països Catalans, the location of the Barcelona Sants railway...
in Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
. The sculpture was covered in tiles by the artist's collaborator Joan Gardy Artigas
Joan Gardy Artigas
Joan Gardy Artigas is a Catalan ceramist, artist and a close collaborator with Joan Miro-Life:Artigas was born on 18 June 1938 in Boulogne-Billancourt and his father was Josep Llorens Artigas who worked closely with Miro and Pablo Picasso. Artigas was able to work for Miro, whilst still a...
. The sculpture is part of a trilogy that was commissioned to welcome visitors to Barcelona.
Background
The concrete sculpture was formally opened in 1982 or 1983 (sources vary) and it was one of Joan Miró's last large sculptures which he constructed with the help of his friend and collaborator Joan Gardy ArtigasJoan Gardy Artigas
Joan Gardy Artigas is a Catalan ceramist, artist and a close collaborator with Joan Miro-Life:Artigas was born on 18 June 1938 in Boulogne-Billancourt and his father was Josep Llorens Artigas who worked closely with Miro and Pablo Picasso. Artigas was able to work for Miro, whilst still a...
. Miró was not able to attend the opening as he was too ill and he died less than a year later.
It was Miró's design but Artigas was responsible for adding the tiles as he had done for Miró's earlier mural
Miró Wall
The Miró Wall is a ceramic tiled wall designed by Catalan artist Joan Miró for the Wilhelm Hack Museum in Ludwigshafen, Germany. The wall, which comprises 7,200 tiles, is wide and high.-Design:...
in Ludwigshafen, Germany. Dona i Ocell was part a publicly commissioned trilogy that was intended to welcome visitors to Barcelona as they arrived by the sea, from the air or in this case by land. Miró had been born in the city in 1893 and he was a champion for Catalonian culture. Car passengers that arrive in Barcelona can see the strong colours of the tiles which are indicative of Miró's style. This work was the last of the three sculptures that welcomed Barcelona's tourists. The first was at the airport and it was commissioned in 1968. The intermediate work was a large mosaic in La Rambla in Barcelona.
Description
The work uses uses some of Miró's recurring themes of women and birds. In Catalan the word for a "bird" is a graphical term for a penis. This is reflected in the phallic shape of the main form which has a hole through the glans. The sculpture is decorated in primary colours and it has a vulva shaped split down the side of the shaft which is lined with blackish tiles. The idea for the sculpture is not new and examples of placing vulva on a model penis and a hole in the glans have been found on Roman sculpture from the second or third century.The park
The park where the sculpture is installed covers four blocks of the Barcelona road grid near the Plaça d'Espanya. The park is a popular area to relax. The park which is on one side of the road Carrer de TarragonaCarrer de Tarragona, Barcelona
Carrer de Tarragona is a street in Barcelona. A long street lined with high-rises, it serves as the border between Hostafrancs, in the district of Sants-Montjuïc, and Eixample. This street runs from Plaça d'Espanya towards Plaça dels Països Catalans, the location of the Barcelona Sants railway...
is also known as Parc de l'Escorxador which translates as Slaughterhouse Park as this was the previous use for the site.
The park is divided into two distinct areas. The lower area contains plants which includes flowers as well as eucalyptus, pine and palm trees. The higher area is paved and has an artificial lake from which the sculpture rises at one corner.