Miquel Barcelo is best known for his installation of multicolored stalactite forms on the domed ceiling of the Human Rights and Alliance of Civilizations Chamber at the UN Palace of Nations in Geneva. Painted with pigments sourced from around the world and sprayed with blue-gray paint for an undulating, ever-changing appearance, the structures symbolize the sea and a cave in opposing union. The oscillating color and form of the ocean is a recurring motif in Barcelo’s work. While he has produced paintings, drawings, ceramics, and cast iron structures, he is most frequently classified as an International Neo-Expressionist, as he favors recognizable subjects rendered in an expressive, gestural manner. An interest in decomposition, metamorphosis, and the passage of time drives Barcelo’s art, which includes boxes filled with decaying food and pale, fleshy canvases inspired by the rugged terrain of the Sahara Desert.