Bosc de Can Ginebreda, open air erotic sculptures museum

Carretera de Mieres, km 25.5 | 17834 Porqueres, Girona
Coordinates: 42.1224110000, 2.7092370000 (map)

The idea to exhibit his artworks in the wild woods instead of an art gallery has occurred to the Catalan sculptor Xicu Cabanyes back in the 1970s, at the very start of his artistic career. Visiting the Kröller-Müller Museum in the Hoge Veluwe National Park in the Netherlands, as well as Park of the Monsters in Bomarzo, Italy, has cemented the idea in the maestro's head—since then, he has created over a hundred monuments and sculptures, now on display in the forest Bosc Can Ginebreda close to Porqueres, Girona.

Xicu Cabanyes is a renowned master of erotic sculpture, so a good half of the artworks in the outdoor "gallery" can be labelled NSFW. Medusa's head covered in penises, tables making love, a series of sculptures titled "Secret Beauty of Vulva", monuments titled "Lips", "Pubis", "Victim of Sex", "Kiss", "Bonded Cock", "A Woman Disoriented", not to mention an open dedication to Pope Francis with detailed discussions of his anatomy are all on display.

Despite the openly provocative nature of the museum's exhibits, clearly designed to raise eyebrows, its visitors aren't likely to be too scandalized by the artworks. The forest is too remote to receive accidental visitors looking for a fun day out with kids, while the locals know better than to go for hikes in the area unless art appreciation is specifically on their hiking agenda.

Among all the erotic works hidden among the trees, there are countless tame ones as well. Artworks like "The Maginot Line", "A Roman Bunker", "A Dedication to Cava", "Chernobyl", and "Torre de Collserola" have nothing to do with eroticism, yet account for another half of the museum collection. (The erotic half is just way more fun to write about!) Besides Xicu Cabanyes, artists like Lluís Vilà, Torres Monsó, and Moisès Villèlia have contributed their works to the collection of Bosc Can Ginebreda.

In 2009, the forest was acquired by the government and now houses not only the open-air museum but a convenient open space used for local exhibits, markets and festivals organized by the municipality. The first Sunday of September is dedicated to celebrating the forest itself. The annual fair Festa del Bosc saw its 32nd edition in 2019.

Bosc Can Ginebreda is open to visitors daily from 9 am to 6 pm in winter and to 9 pm in summer. A small admission fee is charged.
Phone: 972 582 538