Floralis Genérica

Floralis Genérica is a 23-metre-tall steel and aluminium flower sculpture in the Plaza de las Naciones Unidas that opens its petals every morning and closes them every evening — a kinetic artwork that uses hydraulic mechanisms to track the sun like a real flower. Designed by Argentine architect Eduardo Catalano and installed in 2002, the sculpture weighs 18 tons and has become one of Buenos Aires' most recognisable contemporary landmarks.

The flower's six petals, each 13 metres long and made of polished stainless steel, reflect the surrounding water of the fountain basin and the trees of the Recoleta parkland, creating reflections that change with the weather and the time of day. The opening and closing mechanism operates automatically, though the flower remains fully open on certain national holidays and on May 25 (Argentina's national day). When the petals are closed at night, the flower is lit from within, creating a glowing lantern visible from the surrounding avenues.

Catalano, who donated the sculpture to the city, described it as 'a synthesis of all flowers and at the same time a hope that is reborn every day as it opens.' The sculpture sits between MALBA and the National Library, on a stretch of Avenida Figueroa Alcorta that passes through some of the most expensive real estate in Buenos Aires, and its combination of engineering precision and poetic intent makes it one of the few pieces of public art in the city that both architects and grandmothers can appreciate equally.