In Barcelona, Joan Bueno has added a new 17-metre mural to BesArt, the open-air urban art museum along the Besòs River. At 93, the artist known as Barcelona's last street painter is still recording the city in his own direct style.
The mural is now part of BesArt, also known as The River Museum, which says it is Europe's largest open-air urban art museum. The project uses walls along the Besòs River, stretching for 18 kilometres and covering nearly five million square metres of artistic surface across the Barcelona metropolitan area. More on the project is available on the BesArt official website.
Bueno's new work takes inspiration from the Sagrada Família, but it does not use abstract or idealised figures. Instead, it shows real Barcelona residents at everyday scenes, including playing chess and dominoes in a public square, according to BesArt. That focus fits his long-running habit of drawing anonymous city life as he sees it.
José Félix Bentz, president of the Real Centro Artístico de Barcelona, praised Bueno's role in the city's cultural life. He said Bueno is a much-loved and indefatigable person, and that he has been part of the centre's life for many years. The Real Centro Artístico has also supported Bueno through exhibitions and other initiatives.
Born in Barcelona in 1932, Bueno studied drawing at Escola del Treball before training in advertising and graphic design at Saint Martin's School of Art in London. After military service in Vilajuïga, he hitchhiked to London and worked casual jobs, including washing dishes, while studying. He later spent time in Iceland, where he developed the fast drawing technique he still uses today.
His method is simple, Chinese ink, reeds he collects near Esplugues church, and plain paper. He says, "When I paint, an angel seems to help me," and adds, "Art is a therapy, a medicine that prolongs my life." Rafael Tirado, a photographer and filmmaker who has known him since 1978, says Bueno still follows the news each morning and goes out to draw whatever catches his attention. For more Barcelona culture coverage, see our Community and Sport pages.
Bueno has also documented vanished Barcelona spaces, including the old Colmado Quílez, as well as student protests and political mobilisations outside the Parlament. Beyond the city, he created nearly 2,000 drawings of places in Baix Llobregat. Tirado says Bueno is still working on new projects, including a series of 12 prints dedicated to the Sagrada Família and the parish of Sant Agustí.
