Art forms part of what hasn't been done yet, what you still don't believe in. It’s something that is apart from you, in front of you; something you have to look for. -Eduardo Chillida
Set at the edge of La Concha Bay, where the urban promenade of San Sebastián meets the powerful Cantabrian Sea, Eduardo Chillida’s Comb of the Wind / El Peine del Viento 1977, stands as a fusion of sculpture, architecture, and nature. This iconic installation, comprising three monumental corten‑steel forms embedded into the coastal rocks, was conceived in collaboration with architect Luis Peña Ganchegui, who designed the surrounding granite terrace, equipped with subtle “blow‑holes” that amplify the dialogue between water, wind, and metal.
Chillida, born and raised in San Sebastián, was drawn to this exact spot since childhood. He once said: 'This place is the origin of everything - the wind, the sea, the rocks.' It is impossible to create a piece like this without taking the environment into consideration. That philosophy speaks through the sculpture’s imposing presence and its seemingly comb‑like arms reaching into the elements—three 10‑ton steel anchors resisting relentless waves.
In stormy weather, the site becomes a visceral spectacle with waves slamming into the rocks, forcing air upward through the platform’s vent‑holes, and hissing through the steel structures as if being 'combed.' Visitors often feel the spray and rumble of water jets nearly seven metres high, creating an immersive sensory experience that transcends visual art.
The composition is both poetic and perfectly calibrated. Chillida sculpted this as “Peine del Viento XV,” the fifteenth iteration in a series exploring boundaries and space, with two of the combs facing each other—symbolizing past connections—and a third facing the horizon, a gesture toward the future. What began as a singular sculpture evolved into a trio that achieves balanced geometric harmony and robust dialogue with the coastline.
Ganchegui’s amphitheatre-like granite plaza, enables visitors to appreciate this living sculpture from shifting perspectives. The “blow‑holes” integrated into the paving beneath the terrace heighten the interaction; at high tide, sudden geysers and haunting whistles inform the visitor of the energetic forces at play.
A triumph of site‑specific art and Basque cultural identity, Comb of the Wind has become San Sebastián’s sculptural emblem—a meeting point of human craftsmanship and elemental power. It invites contemplation not only of form but of our relationship with nature; the tensions between permanence and ephemerality, artifice and wilderness.
The installation’s enduring appeal lies in its constant narrative of change. No two visits are the same—the sky, sea, and light choreograph new interactions around those steel combs. As Chillida himself emphasized, standing before it is both 'made by me and not made by me'—a shared creation between artist, community, and the natural world.
Set at the edge of La Concha Bay, where the urban promenade of San Sebastián meets the powerful Cantabrian Sea, Eduardo Chillida’s Comb of the Wind / El Peine del Viento 1977, stands as a fusion of sculpture, architecture, and nature. This iconic installation, comprising three monumental corten‑steel forms embedded into the coastal rocks, was conceived in collaboration with architect Luis Peña Ganchegui, who designed the surrounding granite terrace, equipped with subtle “blow‑holes” that amplify the dialogue between water, wind, and metal.
Chillida, born and raised in San Sebastián, was drawn to this exact spot since childhood. He once said: 'This place is the origin of everything - the wind, the sea, the rocks.' It is impossible to create a piece like this without taking the environment into consideration. That philosophy speaks through the sculpture’s imposing presence and its seemingly comb‑like arms reaching into the elements—three 10‑ton steel anchors resisting relentless waves.
In stormy weather, the site becomes a visceral spectacle with waves slamming into the rocks, forcing air upward through the platform’s vent‑holes, and hissing through the steel structures as if being 'combed.' Visitors often feel the spray and rumble of water jets nearly seven metres high, creating an immersive sensory experience that transcends visual art.
The composition is both poetic and perfectly calibrated. Chillida sculpted this as “Peine del Viento XV,” the fifteenth iteration in a series exploring boundaries and space, with two of the combs facing each other—symbolizing past connections—and a third facing the horizon, a gesture toward the future. What began as a singular sculpture evolved into a trio that achieves balanced geometric harmony and robust dialogue with the coastline.
Ganchegui’s amphitheatre-like granite plaza, enables visitors to appreciate this living sculpture from shifting perspectives. The “blow‑holes” integrated into the paving beneath the terrace heighten the interaction; at high tide, sudden geysers and haunting whistles inform the visitor of the energetic forces at play.
A triumph of site‑specific art and Basque cultural identity, Comb of the Wind has become San Sebastián’s sculptural emblem—a meeting point of human craftsmanship and elemental power. It invites contemplation not only of form but of our relationship with nature; the tensions between permanence and ephemerality, artifice and wilderness.
The installation’s enduring appeal lies in its constant narrative of change. No two visits are the same—the sky, sea, and light choreograph new interactions around those steel combs. As Chillida himself emphasized, standing before it is both 'made by me and not made by me'—a shared creation between artist, community, and the natural world.
