Canary Islands (Spain). “My commitment to truth, justice and reparation forces me to act in accordance with my convictions and therefore to refuse an price from an institution whose recent actions contradict these ideals”declared Monday March 17 Acaymo S. Cuesta, 41 -year -old sculptor living in the Canary Islands, in Spain. By this press release, the artist refused the excellent prize for sculpture which was to be given to him by the Academy of Fine Arts Canary, on March 30.
In a column, the humanist artist denounces the will of the Academy to make a monument of Santa Cruz of Tenerife (Canary Capital) a good of cultural interest. The work in question, produced by Juan de Ávalos in 1966, is a sculptural ensemble which originally bore the name of Monument to His Excellency the Head of Stateand celebrated the life and fight of Francisco Franco, the former Spanish dictator who died in 1975.
Attempts to reinterpret the sculpture
Over the years, different entities have tried to hide the true nature of the statue. In 2010, the town hall rejected it for example Angel Monument Fallen, while the Juan of Ávalos Foundation was trying a Commemorative monument to peace. Difficult, however, to reinterpret this monumental sculpture in granite and bronze. It unequivocally represents the caudillo armed with a sword in the shape of a Christian cross, overlapping an angel. An -detour of Franco, conquering Spain.
Despite the 2007 democratic memory law, which stipulates that works exhilarating the Francoist memory must be withdrawn, the Canarian government has not removed the monument. He was prevented in particular by the Spanish far right parties, themselves supported by the Academy of Fine Arts. As of 2018, the institution had published a report asking for the safeguard of the monument, arguing that “Owning a work in the artistic category of Juan de Ávalos (…) undoubtedly honors the artistic heritage of Santa Cruz de Tenerife”. And as a thank you for this flawless support for the safeguard of Franquistes works, the far right even suggested in January 2025 to award the gold medal to the Academy for “His contributions to the community”.
A position that obviously did not please Cuesta, which recalls the irreversible damage that the Franco dictatorship caused on its island: “Behind this“ monument ”hides a heritage of pain. (…) In the Canaries, where no conventional war took place, the repression was just as devastating. The arts, in all their forms, were harshly struck during this dark period of our history. »»
The artist’s gesture was widely praised by associations for the defense of democratic memory, and the Academy has not yet announced other winners for its prize.
This controversy is far from the first – and will surely not be the last – concerning the Franco artistic heritage in Spain, while 2025 marks the 50th anniversary of the death of the dictator.
Juan de Ávalos (1911-2006), Monument to His Excellency the Head of State (Detail), 1966.
