The Monument to General Perón is an instance of public art in Madrid, Spain. Located at the namesake avenue [es], it consists of a bronze statue of the Argentine president and general Juan Domingo Perón designed by Agustín de la Herrán put on top of a granite pedestal.
Coordinates | 40.452367°N 3.694994°W / 40.452367; -3.694994 |
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Location | Avenida del General Perón [es], Madrid, Spain |
Designer | Agustín de la Herrán |
Material | Bronze, granite |
Height | 2.10 m (statue) |
Opening date | 1 July 1975 |
Dedicated to | Juan Domingo Perón |
According to the Argentine ambassador in Spain, the project was reportedly the first monument dedicated to Perón to be erected outside Argentina's borders.[1] The monument was a token of gratitude for the support provided by Perón to the Francoist regime during the immediate period after World War II, amid the international isolation of the dictatorship.[2]
Designed by Agustín de la Herrán, the full-body leading sculpture, cast in bronze and 2.10 metre high, represents a standing Perón, dressed with a full dress uniform and carrying the presidential staff.[1] The design of the granite plinth was entrusted to a municipal architect of the Ayuntamiento de Madrid.[1]
The inscription in the main plaque displays the "paladín de la amistad argentino española" ("Paladin of the Argentine–Spanish friendship") epithet.[2]
The monument was unveiled on 1 July 1975, on occasion for the first anniversary of Peron's death, in the Madrilenian avenue already named after him during a ceremony attended by the Miguel Ángel García-Lomas [es] (Mayor of Madrid), José Campano [es] (Argentine ambassador), León Herrera [es] (Minister of Information and Tourism), Pedro Cortina Mauri (Minister of Foreign Affairs), and the Duke of Cádiz (President of the Institute of Hispanic Culture [es]), among others.[3][4] Before the inauguration, authorities paid a visit to the nearby Monument to Isabella the Catholic in order to deposit a floral tribute.[3]