If you’re a fan of felines and fine art, you’re in for a treat! The bustling city of Barcelona is home to Fernando Botero’s Fattest Cat sculpture, a must-visit sightseeing spot when visiting Spain.
Gato is a masterpiece of feline art and a symbol of the city’s vibrant culture and eccentric landmarks that make Barcelona such a special place.
History of Gato The Cat
Fernando Botero’s cat sculpture Gato arrived in Barcelona in 1987 having stopped in many locations like Parc de la Ciutadella and the Olympic Stadium, before the gigantic work of art found its permanent residence in Rambla del Raval.
Gato’s uniqueness may come from its similarity to cats with nine lives. This impressive bronze feline sculpture stands out due to its colossal size, plump round body, youthful features, and long tail.
Gato the cat is a real heavyweight, tipping the scales at over 2 tons and stretching a whopping 7 meters long by 2.50 meters tall. This feline giant is not your average house cat!
Fat Animals Art Collection
The cat isn’t the only one in Barcelona – there’s also a fat horse in El Prat airport. The overinflated and slightly bulbous body and legs make the statue pretty imposing and give it what I can only describe as a high degree of “Trojan horsedness”.
About The Artist
Born in Colombia in 1932, Fernando Botero’ trained to be a bullfighter as a young boy before discovering his true vocation in art. After his first solo art exhibition in Medellín in 1948, the sculpture moved to Bogota. In the 1950s Botero relocated to Madrid where he studied at the Academia de Arte de San Fernando before moving to New York where he developed his trademark style. In 1973 he moved to Paris and started creating his now famous fat sculptures. His iconic style of paintings and sculptures, better known as “Boterismo”, is unique due to the exaggerated volume of his figures.
Sadly the world lost one of the most exceptional artists of our time on 15 September 2023, when Botero passed away in Monaco at the age of 91 from complications from pneumonia. May his legacy live on forever.
