Cat, Fernando Botero

A true symbol of Barcelona and the Raval neighbourhood. He seems to feel comfortable here at the end of the avenue in this neighbourhood, after spending 15 years looking for a home. Botero's Cat is greeted with a smile by everyone. He only has one competitor: the horse by the same artist.

Fernando Botero's Cat was purchased by Barcelona City Council in 1987. From then until 2003 the cat wandered the city's streets in search of a permanent site. His first stop-off point was the Parc de la Ciutadella, near his fellow animals at Barcelona Zoo. Then he was taken to a site by the Olympic Stadium, and a few years later he was put in a little square behind Barcelona's medieval shipyards. Finally, in 2003, the decision was taken to move him to a permanent location at the end of the newly created Rambla del Raval. It is maybe because cats have nine lives, that he has made his presence so strongly felt. Everybody recognises the figure of the bronze cat, with his chubby, rounded form, childish features and long tail. The sculpture has become an integral part of one of Barcelona's most widely redeveloped areas and is a favourite meeting place. Some brave souls even clamber onto the cat's back to have their photos taken.

Botero's monument is an element of vast proportions which is part of our everyday lives. The same style defines the Horse by the Colombian artist, which has stood in Terminal 2 of Barcelona Airport since 1992 and has become a meeting point for passengers.