A sculpture competition

In 1961, the mayor of Barcelona at the time, Josep Maria de Porcioles i Colomer, called a competition to provide the city's new squares with sculptures. Ten pieces were selected from the entries, one of which is El nen de la rutlla (The Boy with the Hoop), a work by the artist Joaquim Ros i Bofarull.

Sculptor and woodcut artist

Joaquim Ros i Bofarull (Barcelona, ​​1906–1991) was a sculptor and woodcut artist who trained under masters such as the painter Francesc d’Assís Galí and the sculptor Pau Gargallo. Ros’s works are in the Noucentista style and tend towards stylisation. He collaborated on the creation of the throne for the Virgin of Montserrat (1947) at Montserrat Monastery. He also created the Adoració dels Reis and Adoració dels pastors groups for the Nativity façade of the Sagrada Família (1981–1982). As a woodcut artist, he was a leading figure in Catalan Noucentista printmaking. His family donated the artist’s drawings, prints, documents and photographs to the Library of Catalonia.