Wender·Vista
City of Arts and Sciences
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileSpain
in the old Turia riverbed in Valencia, Spain

City of Arts and Sciences

— — white concrete the colour of bone in the sun.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.
— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand
— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines
— Beside the kettle, a 12-inch propped
— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall
— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround
— a note from the studio

“Santiago Calatrava's white concrete complex laid down where the Turia river used to run. The Hemisfèric, the first building, opened in 1998. The Oceanogràfic, designed by Félix Candela, came in 2003. Long reflecting pools double the curves of the shells. Valencia drained the riverbed after the 1957 flood and turned it into a green corridor; the City of Arts sits at its seaward end. — from the studio

from the studio
City of Arts and Sciences
— bring it home

City of Arts and Sciences, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?
One tile — square or rectangle.
How big?
the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand
6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb
Surface finish
A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.
How it sits
A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.
$58
Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.
— size
6 × 6 in
15 cm
— weighs
1.6 lb
solid in the hand
— surface
ceramic, hand-finished
art rests beneath a thin glossy finish
— from
Knoxville, TN
our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies
— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about City of Arts and Sciences

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.
— the place

The Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències sits in the former bed of the Turia river in the city of Valencia, on the eastern Mediterranean coast of Spain. After catastrophic flooding in 1957 killed dozens, the river was diverted south of the city and the old channel was turned into a nine-kilometre green corridor of gardens and sports fields. The complex occupies the seaward end of that corridor, between the historic centre and the port.

— the stone

The complex was designed largely by the Valencian architect Santiago Calatrava, with the Oceanogràfic by the Spanish-Mexican engineer Félix Candela. The first building, the Hemisfèric, opened in 1998. The Príncipe Felipe Science Museum followed in 2000, the Oceanogràfic in 2003, and the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía opera house in 2005. All are clad in white concrete and trencadís, the broken-tile mosaic technique used by Antoni Gaudí, set against shallow reflecting pools.

— the visit

The complex sits about 3 km southeast of Valencia's old town and is reached on foot through the Turia gardens in roughly an hour, or by city bus and metro in fifteen minutes. Each building keeps its own hours and ticket; combined passes are available. The Oceanogràfic is the largest aquarium in Europe by water volume. The buildings are most often photographed at the hour after sunset, when the concrete picks up the warm light.

— where
Spain · Valencia, Valencian Community
— elevation
5 m · 16 ft
— position
39.4548° N · 0.3490° W
— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.
3 km NW
Valencia old town
historic centre
1 km W
Turia Gardens
linear park
4 km NE
Malvarrosa Beach
Mediterranean beach
N
City of Arts and Sciences
Valencia old town
Turia Gardens
Malvarrosa Beach
— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about City of Arts and Sciences — and about bringing the piece home.
— about the place

It is in Valencia, on the eastern Mediterranean coast of Spain, built in the former bed of the Turia river. The complex sits about 3 km southeast of the old town, between the historic centre and the port.

Most of the buildings were designed by the Valencian architect Santiago Calatrava. The Oceanogràfic was designed by the Spanish-Mexican engineer Félix Candela, completed shortly after his death in 1997.

The Hemisfèric, the first building, opened in 1998. The Príncipe Felipe Science Museum followed in 2000, the Oceanogràfic in 2003, and the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía opera house in 2005.

After the 1957 Turia flood killed dozens, Valencia diverted the river south of the city and turned the old channel into a green corridor. The complex occupies the seaward end of that nine-kilometre park.

The Oceanogràfic is an aquarium and the largest in Europe by water volume. Its central restaurant building, with a sweeping concrete shell roof, is one of the last works of the engineer Félix Candela.

Each building keeps its own hours and ticket; combined passes are available. The site is reached on foot through the Turia gardens in roughly an hour from the old town, or by city bus and metro in fifteen minutes.

— about the piece in your home

It has carried well for our customers from Valencia and for architecture lovers. The piece reads as the city's modern face rather than its baroque one. A Small or Medium with a handwritten note travels well.

The white concrete and reflecting-pool blues sit well with Mediterranean Modern, Minimalist Architectural, and Calatrava-leaning interiors. It reads as sculptural and considered rather than touristic.

Yes. The current architectural-modern direction favours art tied to named works by named architects. A Calatrava and Candela complex reads as a strong design-room anchor.

A single Large (24x24 inches) anchors most sofas and consoles. For a longer wall, a 4-tile Mural opens the reflecting pools horizontally; a 9-tile Mural is for a feature wall.

Yes. Choose the Dura Satin or Matte finish for moisture-prone rooms. Both are scratch-resistant and read softer than the Glossy show-piece finish meant for framed wall art.

A microfibre cloth with water is enough. The colour is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, so it will not lift or fade with normal household cleaning.

Yes. Every WenderVista tile is original to our studio in Knoxville, Tennessee. There is no licensing and no third-party imagery; Reid Wender is the curator and the eye behind every piece.

— if this one stayed with you

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