The Monument to Concepción Arenal is an instance of public art in

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the Largest cities of the Europ ...

, Spain. Located at the Parque del Oeste, it is dedicated to

Concepción Arenal Concepción Arenal Ponte ( Ferrol, 31 January 1820 – Vigo, 4 February 1893) was a graduate in law, thinker, journalist, poet and Galician dramatic author within the literary Realism and pioneer in Spanish feminism. Born in Ferrol, Galicia, sh ...

, 19th-century standout jurist and precursor of

feminism Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...

History and description

The monument was a work by José María Palma Burgos, a sculptor from Granada. It was funded via popular subscription. The sculptural group consisted of a

granite Granite () is a coarse-grained ( phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies under ...

basement displaying the seated statue of Concepción Arenal, made of

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

and dressed with a judicial robe, sided to her right flank by an allegory of ''Peace'' cast in bronze, and a symbolization of the ideas of ''Liberty'', ''Justice'' and ''Forgiveness'', sculpted in stone, to her left flank. An inscription at its base reads ("Concepción Arenal. She loved science. She comforted pain"). It was unveiled on 29 May 1934 at the plaza de Ruperto Chapí, located at the Parque del Oeste. Some of the institutional representatives attending the event were Niceto Alcalá Zamora (President of the Republic), Pedro Rico (Mayor of Madrid), Rafael Sánchez Guerra (Secretary of the Presidency),

Victoria Kent Victoria Kent Siano (March 6, 1891 – September 25, 1987) was a Spanish lawyer and republican politician. Biography Born in Málaga, Spain, Kent was affiliated to the Radical Socialist Republican Party and came to fame in 1930 for defending � ...

(Director–General of Prisons),

Álvaro de Albornoz Álvaro de Albornoz y Liminiana (June 13, 1879, Asturias – October 22, 1954, Mexico) was a Spanish lawyer, writer, and one of the founders of the Second Republic of Spain. Early life He began his early studies in his native town of Luarca, ...

(President of the Court of Constitutional Guarantees), Gerardo Abad Conde (President of the Council of State), (President of the Supreme Court), (Minister of Justice), (Minister of Public Instruction). The ceremony was also attended by a number of prominent women in the public sphere such as Concha Espina, Magda Donato, Matilde Muñoz,

Pilar Millán Astray Pilar Millán Astray (1879 – 22 May 1949) was a Spanish writer and playwright. Recent research shows that she was a spy for the Germans before WW1 and her literary success. She was later imprisoned for her fascist views and it is said that she ...

or among others. José María Poyán (President of the ''Lar Gallego''),

Clara Campoamor Clara Campoamor Rodríguez (12 February 1888 – 30 April 1972) was a Spanish politician, lawyer and writer, considered by some the mother of the Spanish feminist movement. She was one of the main promoters for women's suffrage in Spa ...

(on behalf of the organizing committee for the erection of the monument) and Vicente Cantos (as representative of the Government) intervened as speakers. The monument endured damage during the 1936–1939 Civil War. Following the end of the war, the monument underwent a restoration, directed by José María Palma himself with help from architect Pedro Muguruza. The monument was moved to its current location within the park, near the Paseo Moret, in 1995.

References

;Citations ;Bibliography * {{Cite book, chapter=Didáctica de la historia en femenino: la presencia de las mujeres en el urbanismo madrileño, first1=Antonio Rafael, last1=Fernández Paradas, first2=Rubén, last2=Sánchez Guzmán, pages=9–41, publisher=Editorial Universidad Don Bosco, location=El Salvador, editor-first=Antonio Rafael, editor-last=Fernández Paradas, editor-first2=Mercedes, editor-last2=Fernández Paradas, editor-first3=Guillermo Antonio, editor-last3=Gutiérrez Montoya, year=2017, isbn=978-99923-50-95-9, url=https://dialnet.unirioja.es/descarga/libro/717055.pdf, via=

Dialnet The University of La Rioja (UR) is a public institution of higher education based in Logroño, La Rioja, Spain. Inaugurated during 1992-1993 from various existing schools and colleges, it currently teaches Grades 19 adapted to the European Higher ...

, title=Educación Histórica, Patrimonios olvidados y Felicidad en la Didáctica de las Ciencias Sociales Sculptures of women in Spain Stone sculptures in Spain Bronze sculptures in Spain Outdoor sculptures in Madrid Monuments and memorials in Madrid Buildings and structures in Casa de Campo neighborhood, Madrid