El Desconsol

Parc de la Ciutadella. (Open Map)
(75)

Description

Notable sculpture in Parc de la Ciutadella pond

El Desconsol is a sorrowful man, his arm thrown across his down-turned head. Known as Grief in English, the sculpture is an early 20th century representation of modernisme, the Catalan home-grown art movement. One of the era's most striking sculptures, El Desconsol was crafted by Jose Limon in 1903.

J.C. Forestier took the initiative to design the pond in which El Desconsol now resides. In 1917, the whole arrangement was revealed, including the oval pond and the sculpture. El Desconsol sits in front of the Catalan Parliament, where the old parade ground is in the Park de la Ciutadella. As a historic site in Barcelona’s independent history, the Parc houses a number of milestone edifices and sculptures.