Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Turkmenistan Gates of Hell Darvaza crater
Turkmenistan • 10 days, 9 nights
Turkmenistan & the Gates of Hell
from
Slovenia mushroom foraging
Slovenia • 6 days, 5 nights
Forest to Table in Alpine Slovenia
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Nagi Gumba
Top floor of castle.
Kifune Castle
 The front of Asian Garden Mall.
Asian Garden Mall
The cable car is one of two in Europe that crosses open ocean.
Dursey Island Cable Car
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
A slice of cake is the perfect coda to a meal at Piatto Romano.
Piatto Romano
Crunchy and supremely satisfying, suppli might be the ultimate street food snack.
Supplizio
The pedigreed pistachios here are from Bronte.
Gelateria dei Gracchi
This tiny hole-in-the-wall serves one of the world’s most magnificent sandwiches.
Er Buchetto
Seafood features prominently on the menu.
Dakar NOLA
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Sheep at Colonial Williamsburg on a sunny day.
Little Lambs, Big Back Story
about 16 hours ago
View of Santa Monica Beach and Los Angeles in afternoon sun. Aerial view from above the pacific ocean water.
Why Did Celebrity Preacher Aimee Semple McPherson Mysteriously Disappear?
1 day ago
The glass-ceilinged atrium of the Bradbury Building was inspired by Edward Bellamy’s utopian literature.
The Bradbury Building Featured in ‘Blade Runner’ Was Inspired by a 19th-Century Utopian Novel
2 days ago
Berza gitana is one of the exemplary dishes of Gitano cuisine.
How Gitano Cuisine Found a Home in Andalusia
3 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Spain Madrid 'Día y Noche' (Day and Night)

'Día y Noche' (Day and Night)

A pair of gigantic baby heads greet passengers at Atocha Station.

Madrid, Spain

Added By
Fred Cherrygarden
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
  Concepcion AMAT ORTAS/CC BY 3.0
  Concepcion AMAT ORTAS/CC BY 3.0
“Day,” one of the baby heads with open eyes.   Mousebox/CC BY 2.0
Don’t be alarmed—it’s just a massive baby head.   Luis García/CC BY 3.0
A close look at Noche (“Night”).   Concepcion AMAT ORTAS/CC BY 3.0
“Day and Night” by Antonio López García.   Luis García/CC BY-SA 3.0
awake baby head   alysonwmiller / Atlas Obscura User
asleep baby head   alysonwmiller / Atlas Obscura User
Día y Noche   Xavixavir / Atlas Obscura User
Day and Night   Xavixavir / Atlas Obscura User
“Night,” one of the baby heads at Atocha Station.   showbizsuperstar/CC BY-ND 2.0
  mvives2468 / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Just outside Atocha Station (a transportation hub also known for its own tropical garden), a pair of gigantic, realistic baby heads greet passengers. Made of bronze, they stand 3 meters (or nearly 10 feet) tall and weigh over 2 tons each. Although they may seem slightly creepy, the story behind these sculptures is a sweet one.

The baby heads,  installed here in 2008, are the work of the Spanish artist Antonio López García. They represent "Day" (Día) and "Night" (Noche). One of them has its eyes open and the other has its eyes shut. Designed in López García's realistic style, the meaning behind the freestanding baby heads may leave viewers scratching their own heads. But actually, both are based on the face of López García's granddaughter Carmen, when she was only eight months old.

Born in a rural town in 1936, López García came to Madrid when he was 13 years old to study art. He first arrived at Atocha Station, and made his name as an artist in the following years. So it's quite fitting to find his baby granddaughter here, even though most people pass by the heads without knowing their background.

Related Tags

Giant Heads Statues Babies Sculptures Art Outside

Community Contributors

Added By

Fred Cherrygarden

Edited By

hrnick, Xavixavir, alysonwmiller, mvives2468

  • hrnick
  • Xavixavir
  • alysonwmiller
  • mvives2468

Published

June 11, 2020

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://www.rigidroguesgallery.com/dia-y-noche-night-and-day/
  • https://elpais.com/diario/2008/07/03/madrid/1215084264_850215.html
  • https://newbostonpost.com/blogs/the-story-of-those-baby-heads-on-the-mfa-lawn/
'Día y Noche' (Day and Night)
3 Av. de la Ciudad de Barcelona
Madrid, 28007
Spain
40.406301, -3.68862
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Atocha Station Tropical Garden

Madrid, Spain

miles away

Cuesta de Moyano

Madrid, Spain

miles away

Panteón de Hombres Ilustres (Pantheon of Illustrious Men)

Madrid, Spain

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Madrid

Madrid

Spain

Places 123
Stories 2

Nearby Places

Atocha Station Tropical Garden

Madrid, Spain

miles away

Cuesta de Moyano

Madrid, Spain

miles away

Panteón de Hombres Ilustres (Pantheon of Illustrious Men)

Madrid, Spain

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Madrid

Madrid

Spain

Places 123
Stories 2

Related Places

  • A bronze fast of a female face atop a pedestal with a lighthouse in the background

    New York, New York

    Girl Puzzle Monument

    An art installation commemorates journalist Nellie Bly's undercover reporting inside a New York asylum.

  • Tokyo, Japan

    Moyai

    Inspired by the famous sculptures on Easter Island, this head serves as a popular meeting spot by Shibuya Station.

  • Hörby, Sweden

    'Multiplera Skåne'

    Unexpectedly standing in a glade, this large group of life-sized, 3D-printed clay figures captures the essence of local young people.

  • Glenelg, Australia

    Sesquipedalian Sea Squirt

    A controversial interactive sculpture that "weeps" water.

  • Manchester, England

    'A New Broom'

    This statue of an everyday cleaning tool sits proud upon a plinth in Manchester's coolest quarter.

  • Bolton, North Carolina

    Grahamland Attractions

    Hundreds of fiberglass structures line the side of the road in the middle of nowhere.

  • Wote Street Willy on Wote street, outside of Plush

    Basingstoke, England

    Wote Street Willy

    A sincere and thoughtful art installation, mistaken by many as a statue of a penis.

  • The Naked Truth

    St. Louis, Missouri

    'The Naked Truth'

    In the Compton Hill Reservoir Park sits a statue whose lack of clothing caused a scandal for the group that commissioned it.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.