Quiz: Famous Art, Famous Places (10 Photos)

By Vidar
Cloud Gate and a giant flower-covered dog sculpture in two separate photographs.

You know the artwork. Do you know the place?

A silver bean, a flower-covered puppy, an ancient pyramid. Some places will come to you straight away; others have a clue to help. Choose a city to reveal the answer and a short story behind the work. Your score appears after all ten questions.

Guess the City
A white statue with outstretched arms stands on a forested mountaintop above a coastal city at sunset.

An easy one to start: this statue watches over a city famous for Copacabana Beach. Which city?

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Rio de Janeiro, Brazil ๐Ÿ‡ง๐Ÿ‡ท

Christ the Redeemer has stood on Corcovado since 1931. Sculptor Paul Landowski and engineer Heitor da Silva Costa were central to its creation; the outer surface is covered in small soapstone tiles. Photo: 4FLY RJ.

Sculpture: Paul Landowski; engineering: Heitor da Silva Costa

Guess the City
A polished, bean-shaped sculpture reflects buildings and a crowd in a city park.

The skyline bends around this giant silver โ€œbeanโ€ in Millennium Park. Which city is it in?

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Chicago, Illinois, USA ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ

Anish Kapoorโ€™s Cloud Gate is made from stainless steel, although its curved reflections can make it look almost liquid. Walk beneath its arch and the city, the sky and your own reflection fold into one another.

Artwork and image source: Anish Kapoor

Guess the City
A bronze mermaid sits on a large rock beside the water as the sun sets.

A small bronze figure, a very famous fairy tale. Which Nordic capital is her home?

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Copenhagen, Denmark ๐Ÿ‡ฉ๐Ÿ‡ฐ

Edvard Eriksenโ€™s Little Mermaid was unveiled in 1913. Brewer Carl Jacobsen commissioned it after seeing a ballet based on Hans Christian Andersenโ€™s story. Photo: Rasmus Flindt Pedersen; sculpture ยฉ Billedhuggeren Edvard Eriksens Arvinger.

Sculpture: Edvard Eriksen

Guess the City
An enormous seated Buddha is carved into a red cliff beside a river, with a boat below for scale.

This giant Buddha was carved into a cliff in Sichuan, China. Which city gives the statue its name?

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Leshan, Sichuan, China ๐Ÿ‡จ๐Ÿ‡ณ

The Leshan Giant Buddha rises 71 metres above the river. Carved into the hillside in the eighth century, it faces the meeting of the Minjiang, Dadu and Qingyi rivers.

Artwork: historic Chinese stone carvers

Guess the City
A giant terrier-shaped sculpture covered in living flowers stands outside a metal-clad museum.

This flower-covered terrier guards a Guggenheim museum in northern Spain. Which city?

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Bilbao, Spain ๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡ธ

Jeff Koonsโ€™s Puppy turns a West Highland white terrier into a living flower sculpture. Hidden beneath the plants is a steel structure with an internal irrigation system. Photo: Erika Ede, courtesy ยฉ FMGB Guggenheim Bilbao.

Artwork: Jeff Koons

Guess the City
The silhouette of a crowned statue holding a torch rises above a small island at sunset.

A torch, a crown and a harbor skyline: which city is home to this landmark?

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New York City, USA ๐Ÿ‡บ๐Ÿ‡ธ

Frรฉdรฉric Auguste Bartholdi designed the Statue of Liberty, dedicated in 1886. The National Park Service explains that its familiar green surface is a patina formed as the copper oxidized. Photo: National Park Service.

Sculpture: Frรฉdรฉric Auguste Bartholdi

Guess the City
A rust-colored steel figure spreads enormous straight wings above a grassy slope.

The Angel of the North spreads its wings south of the River Tyne. Which town, across the river from Newcastle, is its home?

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Gateshead, England, UK ๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ง

Antony Gormleyโ€™s Angel of the North was installed in Gateshead in 1998. Its wings span 54 metres, wider than the sculpture is tall: the figure itself rises 20 metres.

Artwork: Antony Gormley

Guess the City
An ancient stone pyramid rises above a rocky plateau, with a smoother pale cap near its summit.

The cap of pale stone is a clue: this is Khafreโ€™s pyramid. On which Egyptian cityโ€™s plateau does it stand?

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Giza, Egypt ๐Ÿ‡ช๐Ÿ‡ฌ

Khafreโ€™s pyramid can look taller than the Great Pyramid because it stands on higher ground, though it is actually shorter. The surviving pale stone near the summit is part of its original outer casing.

Ancient Egyptian builders; image: Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities

Guess the City
Three detail views of a marble figure twisting his body and gripping a sling.

Berniniโ€™s David is caught mid-throw. Which Italian capital houses this sculpture in the Galleria Borghese?

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Rome, Italy ๐Ÿ‡ฎ๐Ÿ‡น

Gian Lorenzo Bernini carved David in 1623โ€“24. The Galleria Borghese describes him at the moment of launching his stone: the twisted body and clenched expression turn marble into an instant of action.

Sculpture: Gian Lorenzo Bernini

Guess the City
A huge silver flower with open metal petals rises from a circular pool in a green park.

One last bloom: this giant metal flower stands in Recoleta, in Argentinaโ€™s capital. Which city?

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Buenos Aires, Argentina ๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡ท

Architect Eduardo Catalano gave Floralis Genรฉrica to the city. The 20-metre steel-and-aluminum flower was designed with moving petals that open by day and close at night. Image: Buenos Aires City Tourist Board.

Artwork: Eduardo Catalano

Which place would you most like to see in person? Tell us your score and your pick in the comments.

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Discussion 9 comments

  1. ะ˜ะฝั‚ัƒะธั†ะธั. ะŸั€ะตะดะฟะพะปัƒะถะต.
    ะฅะฐั€ะตัะฒะฐะผ ะพั€ะธะณะธะฝะฐะปะฝะพ ะธะทะบัƒัั‚ะฒะพ!!

    Reply
  2. I got 6/10. ะงะธะบะฐะณะพ fooled me: I guessed ะ‘ะพัั‚ัŠะฝ because

    Reply
  3. I got 5/10. Gateshead fooled me: I guessed York because of York position North

    Reply
  4. I got 7/10. Copenhagen fooled me: I guessed Stockholm because

    Reply
  5. Was sure David’s status was Florence, and was thinking Copenhagen, should has stuck with my instinct

    Reply
  6. I got 6/10. Rome fooled me: I guessed Florence because there is do much art there.

    Reply
  7. I got 6/10. Giza fooled me: I guessed Aswan because

    Reply
  8. I got 7/10. Rome fooled me: I guessed Florence because I didn’t know that Galeria Borgese was in Rome, never been to Italy.

    Reply
  9. I got 7/10. Bilbao fooled me: I guessed Madrid because,, it was the city of my favorite club.. And also i had never seen such thing before!

    Reply

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