The Giants, the Flag and Children

Plaça Nova

Design: Pablo Picasso
Execution: Carl Nesjar
Materials: White concrete with arid black mass, edged blasting pressure
Inauguration: April 29, 1962

The architect Xavier Busquets was a friend of Pablo Picasso and when he won the competition to build the new headquarters of the Architects, had a thought: ask for a work on the facade. Picasso was encouraging and drew three cartoons, one for each of the streets where the new building would: Arches, priests and Plaza Nueva. For the first made the frieze of the Child, for the second drew the frieze of the flag with an allegory of the gangs of San Medir and hearts Clave, and the third, which was the central frieze Joy, with dances and palm branches on Palm Sunday. He also made two drawings for the interior of the first floor of the new building college. It was as if evoked the days of his youth. On 15 October 1960 cartons with drawings were ready. Picasso suggested the name of the Norwegian artist Carl Nesjar to perform the work, as he had done something similar with his drawings for the government building in Oslo. The work was done on black basalt stone covered with concrete. The sandblasting that Nesjar projected furiously on the concrete baring black lines that make up the frieze by Picasso. Nesjar took six months to complete the work, which was also wrapped in controversy, just opened in May 1962. A version denied talk of a visit by the architect Busquets, dressed in the uniform Blue Division, the bishop of Barcelona to stop criticism of the Church, founded tolerate the work of an atheist communist -Picasso- the same Cathedral square. The controversy was calming time. The frieze was restored in the winter of 2001 and returned Nesjar lived to tell the tale.

  • Gòtic
  • Pl. Nova, 5

  • Metro L4JAUME I

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