Art on the Outside

Exploring on foot is a great way to discover what makes a place special and unique.  Whether exploring a nature trail or a city sidewalk, seeing and experiencing a place at street-level can lead to delightful surprises.  It could be a beautiful natural view, a charming street scene (like this one in Viana do Castelo, Portugal) or a beautiful historic building.

I’ve had the pleasure of seeing many outstanding buildings during my travels.  Some of the most memorable have been those with decorative exteriors.  It was, of course, more common to adorn the outside of buildings in days gone by.  Take, for example, the Casa Batlló in Barcelona, Spain.  It is an architectural gem designed by Antoni Gaudí in 1904-1906.  The unique marine-inspired façade is awe-inspiring.  Sunshine makes the unique treatment of stone, glass and ceramics shimmer and shine in exuberant color.

The Casa Major Pessoa in Aveiro, Portugal, where the Museum of Art Nouveau (Museu Arte Nova) now resides, is another outstanding example. This beloved building was designed by architects Silvia Rocha and Ernest Korrodi in 1907.  The spectacular exterior is covered in art nouveau details including a carved stone façade, wrought iron railings, and curvaceous window frames.  It’s topped off with a regal stone eagle.

Obviously, it would be unrealistic to expect all buildings to be as beautiful as these art nouveau treasures.  Modern buildings are rarely designed and constructed with this degree of exterior ornamentation.  But interesting building exteriors and art installations do exist.  Seeking them out, while walking around to explore, is well worth the effort.
A popular method of enhancing a building’s exterior is with paintings and murals.  Here’s some striking street art I spotted while walking to a museum in Lisbon, Portugal.  It is part of a commemorative mural, by artist Mário Belém, commissioned by Lisbon Town Hall to celebrate the 150^th Anniversary of the Abolition of the Death Penalty in Portugal.

I came across an amazing art installation, shown below, while strolling around the town of Fernandina Beach, on Amelia Island, Florida.  It is a side wall of Lindy’s Jewelry boutique.  The giant metal butterflies are the uplifting work of artist Punk Me Tender.


Another noteworthy example is the ViaCatarina Shopping center façade in Porto, Portugal.  As I was walking along the busy sidewalk of the Rua de Santa Catarina, I looked up to see this awesome art installation.  No, I didn’t tilt my camera to some crazy angle… there are indeed figures walking horizontally along the façade of this building.

This work, by artist Paulo Ramunni, is called “The Road Less Travelled”.  Interestingly, ViaCatarina Shopping hosts an annual public art competition to support the arts and this was the winner of the 5^th edition of the contest.  Ramunni’s sculptural masterpiece, comprised of 22 walking figures of men, women and children, mirrors the movement of the people on the sidewalk below.

This next example was an even bigger surprise.  This is Hotel Ohla in Barcelona, Spain dubbed “the hotel with a thousand eyes”.   The entire facade of this building has been embellished with ceramic eyes.  There are 1000 metal pins topped with ceramic eyeballs.  This is the work of sculptor Frederic Amat with ceramic eyes produced by Antoni Comella.


My final example of outstanding building exteriors isn’t quite as radical as giant eyeballs but it’s equally fantastic.  This is the living wall of the Quai Branly Museum in Paris, France.  The “Green Wall”, as the Museum calls it, was designed by botanist and researcher, Patrick Blanc, from the French National Center for Scientific Research.  The wall is 800 square meters (nearly 1000 square yards) and holds 15,000 plants including ferns, fuchsia, irises, heuchera and willows.  Astonishing, isn’t it?

More Info

You can learn more about the buildings/ art installations mentioned in this post at the following links:
Casa Batlló in Barcelona Spain
Art Nouveau Museum in Aveiro Portugal
Mário Belém’s work and his mural in Lisbon Portugal via Galeria De Arte Urbana (search for artist Mário Belém)
PunkMeTender’s work including his installation on Amelia Island, Florida USA
Paulo Ramunni’s work and his installation at ViaCatarina Shopping in Porto Portugal
Frederic Amat’s work and his installation at Hotel Ohla in Barcelona Spain
Living Wall at Quai Branly Museum in Paris France.
You might also enjoy my post, Following the Yellow Arrows, about walking the Camino de Santiago in Portugal.

Today’s Takeaways

1. Consider exploring on foot to discover what makes a place special and unique.
2. Seeking out interesting building exteriors and art installations is worth the effort.
3. Art on the outside of buildings and structures can spark new ideas.