El Cap de Barcelona, Barcelona, Guide du visiteur et quoi faire à proximité

El Cap de Barcelona, also called La Cara de Barcelona or Barcelona Head, is a large pop-art sculpture by the American artist Roy Lichtenstein on Passeig de Colom, by the seafront in Barcelona. Covered in ceramic mosaic, it was made as part of the city's makeover for the 1992 Olympic Games and is now one of the most playful landmarks along the port.

The story behind it

In the run-up to the 1992 Olympics, Barcelona rebuilt large parts of its infrastructure and public space, and opened itself up to the sea. Lichtenstein, a leading figure of North American pop art, designed the piece in 1991, and the Badajoz sculptor Diego Delgado Rajada turned it into a full-scale work. It belongs to Lichtenstein's Brushstrokes series, in which the loose gesture of a paintbrush is frozen into a bold, graphic form.

Here the brushstrokes form a face set against a background of dots in relief. The whole surface is covered in trencadís, the broken-ceramic mosaic technique associated with Gaudí and Catalan Modernism. The American pop artist chose it as a tribute to that local tradition, which is why a Lichtenstein looks so at home in Barcelona.

What to look for

• The trencadís surface is made of countless small ceramic fragments, so step close to see how the pieces are fitted together.
• The thick, flowing lines of the face look like single brushstrokes, even though they are solid and monumental.
• The relief dots in the background are a signature of Lichtenstein's pop-art style, borrowed from printed comics and adverts.
• The contrast between the bright, modern sculpture and the nearby Post and Telegraph building is part of the charm, so take in both together.

Tips for your visit

• It stands in the open air, so it is outdoors and you can look at it any time of day. It is a quick stop, and 10 to 15 minutes is plenty for photos and details.
• Late afternoon light brings out the colours of the ceramic, and the sculpture looks particularly good against a clear sky.
• You cannot go inside, as it is a sculpture to be admired from the street, so walk all the way around to see it from different angles.
• The port area is close by, so you can easily combine it with a stroll along the waterfront and the streets leading back towards the old town.

See it on a quest

The sculpture works well as one stop on a longer walk, and Rescue in Barcelona passes it. You reach the Head on foot as part of a route through the area, the app tells you about each place as you arrive, and you solve a puzzle based on what is in front of you. One ticket covers the whole group.

Secrets & Poetry in Barcelona, Unlock a Hidden Legacy also leads past it. Playing it means you see the Head alongside other places on the route, hear the story of each one when you get there, and solve a puzzle on the spot. One ticket covers the whole group.