The residents of Eixample Esquerra and the patients and professionals of Hospital Clínic will be surprised when they pass by the Faculty of Medicine, on Casanova street, these days. A giant heart has invaded its main entrance, wedging itself between the columns of the facade to simulate the ribs that constrict it within the body. This is a work by the Barcelona sculptor Jaume Plensa, donated to the hospital with the aim of raising awareness about the prevention of cardiovascular diseases, the leading cause of death worldwide.
Taking advantage of World Heart Day being celebrated this Friday, the hospital center has inaugurated the artistic installation with the presence of the mayor of Barcelona, Jaume Collboni, the Minister of Health, Manel Balcells, the rector of the University of Barcelona (UB), Joan Guardia, the general director of Hospital Clínic, Josep Maria Campistol, and Ana Garcia, head of the Cardiology Service of Clínic. The work can be seen until next Monday, October 2, with the Doctor Duran i Reynals Gardens as the best spot from which to contemplate it.
The spectacular work, titled El Cor Secret (The Secret Heart), is made with synthetic fabrics and has been hand-painted following the shapes and colors of anatomy models. Of large dimensions, 13 meters high and almost 10 meters wide, it weighs a total of 150 kilos. Previously, it had been exhibited in 2014 in Germany, in the city of Augsburg. It was planned to arrive at Clínic five years ago, but the coronavirus delayed the plans.
It is not the first time that Jaume Plensa has made Hospital Clínic his own. In October 2020, the artist placed one of his sculptures in the main lobby of the center to thank the work of healthcare personnel during covid. Since then, a face emerging from a large basalt rock welcomes those who enter through Villarroel street.