Barcelona is a city that is all about art. It has a very rich artistic history. It is colorful, in tune with mother nature, attention grabbing and vibrant. From Gothic to Modernista, this city runs the gamut of art. So it’s no wonder modern day street artists have made their mark of the city. Not just with a spray can, but also with contemporary sculptures.

The look and feel of this city is distinctly “Barcelona”. You need only to travel here to understand that that is an adjective. This city is a little Art Nouveau, a little Art Deco, a little Viennese Secessionist and very very modern. Nothing is simple here. Nothing is minimalist. It is all meant to be fun and just a bit over-the-top. The street art as well as the architecture often will make you feel like you’re walking through a cartoon that was animated on top of old-world Europe.

Architecture in Barcelona sets an amazing backdrop for its amazing street art. The major urban developments projects that happened around the turn of the 20th century transformed Barcelona into one of the world’s most unique cities and one of the most artistically identifiable. This movement was called “Modernisme”. Interesting shapes and curvature that are brightly and elaborately decorated are staples of the type of architecture. There is nothing in Europe quiet like it. This artistic spirit helped lay the ground work for some of today’s coolest pieces of street art.

As a street art aficionado I’ve discovered some of the world’s most amazing work. New York, Paris, Brussels and Lisbon have thus far been the front-runners in all my travels in terms of amazing street art. So, it’s a little difficult to find cities that tell their artistic story on the street rather than inside a museum. Barcelona was one of those wonderful surprises. Not as full of spray paint (which I would usually say defines street art) but with a great blend of avant-garde sculpture, unusually modern architecture and, of course, some spray paint! I found that a lot of the pieces were not invisible during the day however. Most were painted on garage doors that cover various shops throughout the city. So, before the sun rises and all the stores are open for business lots of the streets have amazing paintings that can be viewed. But, you’ll need to walk through the city before coffee or during siesta for optimal viewing.

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