Dona i Ocell

The sculpture Dona i Ocell, which means Woman and Bird in English, is a striking work by the Catalan artist Joan Miró, created together with the ceramicist Joan Gardy Artigas. Standing 22 meters (72 feet) tall, the piece rises up in Barcelona's Parc de Joan Miró, a park built on the former site of a slaughterhouse. The sculpture consists of an elongated, vertically placed body covered in a trencadís mosaic of broken ceramic tiles in yellow, red, blue, and green. Black fragments accentuate the recesses in the material. Near the top, a cylindrical piece sits offset to one side, crowned by a curved yellow form that forms the tip. The entire ensemble stands in a reflecting pool. As part of a three-part series meant to welcome visitors arriving in the city by land, the work embodies central motifs of Miró's art. It combines the depiction of a woman with that of a bird and also allows for erotic associations that point to strength and fertility. Miró was not present at the unveiling in 1983 due to his poor health.