Madrid is a city absolutely chock full of amazing art. Art is everywhere.
Some of the art is just plain fun. Like the 80 “Las Meninas” (Ladies in Waiting). The Meninas are apparently based on the ladies in waiting to the Infanta Margarita in a painting by Valazquez. (Nope, we didn’t go see the painting.) An artist named Antonio Azzato designed the underlying Menina sculpture and then recruited various artists, singers, chefs, designers, and the like to decorate the Meninas, asking the artists to reflect on what Madrid meant to each of them. 2001 was the fourth year that the Meninas were scattered around Madrid. I think Cows on Parade in Chicago was better (because, come on, cows), but the Meninas were pretty cool too.
Compromiso at the Plaza de Santa Ana by Anna Maria Simon.Lisa in front of a soccer-themed Menina.
Some of the art was just plain weird. Like this.
I have no idea what this was about, but it was fun.
There is, of course, street art. This absolute gem overlooks a parking lot near the Plaza del Sol.
The Fabulous Tale of Being Different by Case Maclaim.
There are also street art tours you can take in the Lavapiés neighborhood. We saw these beauties on just such a tour.
I can’t recall the name of this or who did it, but if memory serves it was a large mural showing children of different cultures.Mixed chimp. A collaboration between Okuda San Miguel and Bordalo II. The right side of the monkey is 3D and made with recycled materials.
And, Plaza Major has both a beautiful statue and some interesting art.
Felipe III statue in Plaza Major.Frescoes by Carlos Franco at Plaza Major in Madrid.
Much of the art in Madrid requires you to look far up into the sky.
The Roman by Victorio Macho at the top of the building at 60 Gran Via.Romulus and Remus suckling on a wolf. Pretty sure this was on Gran Via, but we don’t recall precisely where.The phoenix and Ganymede on the building at Gran Via 69.Chariot on the BBVA building.Also on the BBVA buildingI think this was on the Metropolis Building, but don’t quote me on that.
But some of the art is closer to eye level.
Random statue that caught our attention in Madrid.The iconic bear and strawberry tree in the Plaza del Sol.A statue outside the Palacio di Liria.
We would love to explore more of the art in Madrid someday.
Lisa has a degree in biology and another in law and has spent the last 20 years working as a patent litigator. She is a voracious reader of young adult dystopian fiction and watches far too much bad tv. She loves pretty much anything to do with zombies, and doesn’t think there is anything weird about setting an alarm at 6 am on a weekend to stumble to a pub to watch her beloved Chelsea boys.
Robert has had many professions, including a chef, a salesman, an IT guy and most recently, a stay at home dog dad. He speaks Italian and hopes to learn Spanish on this trip. He loves nothing more than a day spent sailing, hopes to do more scuba diving, and rues the day he introduced Lisa to football (i.e., soccer).
PigFish 