Barcelona is a city where art is everywhere, even in the streets. Street art has found the perfect canvas in the Catalan capital for expressing creativity, vindication and culture, turning walls, façades and public spaces into authentic works of art in the open air.
From historic neighbourhoods to the most avant-garde districts, street art in Barcelona reflects the identity and energy of a city in constant evolution. Neighbourhoods like El Raval, Poblenou and Gràcia have embraced this movement, welcoming both established artists and new talents who use the city’s walls as a space for free and dynamic expression. Each work tells a story, whether it’s a social critique, a tribute to local culture or simply an explosion of creativity that transforms the urban landscape.
If you want to discover this open-air museum, explore the most emblematic corners of Barcelona’s urban art scene. You can get to Barcelona with Shuttle2Sun‘s low-cost and sustainable shared transfer services and private transfer services from Barcelona Airport, Barcelona Port, Reus Airport, Girona Airport and Camp de Tarragona AVE train station.
The legacy of Joan Miró
If your flight lands at Barcelona-El Prat Airport Terminal 2, you will be greeted by an emblematic work by the renowned artist Joan Miró: a majestic ceramic mural that adorns the exterior façade. This imposing piece, created in collaboration with the ceramist Josep Llorens i Artigas in 1970, measures 50 metres wide by 10 metres high and is made up of 4,865 enamelled stoneware slabs.
The conception of this mural came about in 1968, when Barcelona City Council proposed to Miró the creation of a work that would welcome visitors arriving in the city by air. This project was part of the artist’s vision to offer his native city four major public works: the sculpture ‘Dona i Ocell’ in the Parc de l’Escorxador, the Pla de l’Os mosaic on Las Ramblas, the Joan Miró Foundation on Montjuïc and the airport mural.
Banksy in Barcelona
Barcelona also pays tribute to one of the most influential artists on the global scene: Banksy. However, unlike other iconic murals in the city, his works are not on the streets, but in a museum dedicated exclusively to his legacy.
The permanent exhibition about Banksy in Barcelona brings together more than 130 reproductions of his most emblematic murals, such as Girl with Balloon, Flower Thrower and Laugh Now, allowing visitors to immerse themselves in his provocative universe full of social criticism.
Through a carefully designed urban scenography, this space recreates the streets and walls where his works originally appeared, offering an immersive experience that transports viewers to different corners of the world.
Arrive in Barcelona with Shuttle2Sun‘s low-cost and sustainable shared transfer services and private transfer services from Barcelona airport, Barcelona port, Reus airport, Girona airport and Camp de Tarragona AVE train station.
The shark of Carmel
In the Carmel neighbourhood, you’ll find one of the most iconic pieces of urban art in Barcelona, the shark mural, a work by Italian artist BLU that criticises capitalism and its consequences.
The original version, created in 2009, depicted a large shark covered in banknotes, representing greed and financial exploitation. However, it was removed in 2021. With the original work gone, the artist returned to Carmel to paint a new mural, this time with an even more shocking vision.
The composition shows a symbolic food chain: a shark made of money, devoured by another made of weapons of war, which in turn is swallowed by a killer whale representing the destruction of the planet. With this powerful message, the mural has become one of the most relevant manifestations of urban art in the city.
The Kissing Wall, an icon of love and freedom in the heart of Barcelona
In the heart of Barcelona’s Gothic Quarter, hidden among its historic streets, is one of the city’s most moving murals: The Kissing Wall. Created in 2014 by photographer Joan Fontcuberta and ceramist Antonio López, this work is a large composition of 4,000 tiles that, seen from afar, form the image of a kiss.
Each tile is, in reality, a photograph contributed by anonymous citizens, representing moments of freedom under the slogan ‘The sound of a kiss’. This initiative arose to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the siege of Barcelona in 1714 and symbolises the city’s love, diversity and resistance over the centuries.
Balcons de Barcelona: a window on the city’s past
On the party wall of a building in Plaça Pablo Neruda stands Balcons de Barcelona, a large-format mural that transforms a bare wall into a vibrant, lively scene. Created in 1992 by the artists’ group Cité de la Création, the mural depicts an imaginary façade with balconies featuring characters from different eras, reflecting the diversity and cultural richness of Barcelona. If you pay attention, you will be able to identify Christopher Columbus, Joan Maragall, Pablo Picasso, Pau Casals, Antoni Gaudí and Mercè Rodoreda, among many other important people.
Barcelona, an open-air museum
In addition to the most iconic murals, Barcelona is home to countless works of street art that turn its streets into a constantly evolving canvas. These include I Have the Power and La Reina del Raval, by the artist Btoy, who pays homage to female empowerment in her creations. Another essential work is the Mural de les Olles, by Frederic Amat, an original composition in the Gràcia neighbourhood.
Urban art in Barcelona also has a strong social component. Proof of this is the mural Todos juntos podemos detener el Sida, which seeks to raise awareness of the prevention and fight against this disease. Similarly, Los colores de la gratitud (The colours of gratitude) is a work that conveys a message of gratitude and solidarity through colour. The latter is on display at the Guinardó – Hospital de Sant Pau station.
Come to Barcelona and discover, first-hand, all these works of urban art. Remember that you can easily get to Barcelona with Shuttle2Sun‘s shared transfer services and private transfer services, low-cost and sustainable, from Barcelona airport, Barcelona port, Reus airport, Girona airport and Camp de Tarragona AVE train station.
