Here before us stands a testament to beauty and danger the Mercury Fountain. The Mercury Fountain is a creation of American sculptor Alexander Calder. It resides now in the Fundació Joan Miró in Barcelona.
This isn’t just any fountain. Instead of water, it pumps liquid metallic mercury. Mercury is also known as quicksilver. It is a beautiful mirror-skinned metal. It is liquid at room temperature. But don’t be fooled. It’s also extremely toxic.
For centuries, the world’s primary source of mercury came from the mines at Almadén in Spain. These mines produced about 60 percent of the world’s mercury. Over nearly two millennia, they extracted some 250,000 metric tons. The mines were worked by criminals and slave laborers. Most of them died of mercury poisoning.
In 1937, Spain decided to commemorate the mine with a monument. They commissioned Calder to build a graceful fountain. This fountain would pump pure mercury. Calder’s Mercury Fountain made its debut at the Spanish Republican Pavilion. This was for the 1937 World’s Fair in Paris. It stood in front of Pablo Picasso’s famous painting, Guernica.
Like Guernica, the Mercury Fountain carried a powerful political message. It must be understood in the context of the Spanish Civil War. At that time, Republican forces controlled Almadén. General Franco’s fascist troops besieged it. The inherent beauty of liquid mercury was well-known. But its toxicity was not fully understood.
Today, the Mercury Fountain still pumps pure mercury. However, it now resides behind a pane of glass. This protects viewers from the toxic fumes. The element’s unique properties led to its use in science and technology. Mercury mining was a lucrative business in the early 20th century. Demand for the metal was high.
During the Spanish Civil War, Franco’s troops attacked Almadén. They besieged the mercury mine. This deprived the Spanish government of revenue from mercury exports. The Republican government then commissioned Calder. They wanted to denounce the siege of Almadén. The Mercury Fountain became their artistic statement.
The Almadén mercury fountain was later donated to the Joan Miró Foundation. Few visitors know the historic struggle behind this piece. It serves as a lethal reminder of Spain’s troubled past. It is a reminder of the brutality of a war. Its legacy continues to resonate today.