''Monument to the Bandeiras'' is a large-scale granite sculpture by the

Italian-Brazilian Italian Brazilians ( it, italo-brasiliani, pt, ítalo-brasileiros) are Brazilians of full or partial Italian descent. Italian Brazilians are the largest number of people with full or partial Italian ancestry outside Italy, with São Paulo being ...

sculptor

Victor Brecheret Victor Brecheret, born ''Vittorio Breheret'' (December 15, 1894 – December 17, 1955), was an Italian-Brazilian sculptor. He lived most of his life in São Paulo, except for his studies in Paris in his early twenties. Brecheret's work combin ...

(1894-1955) at the entrance of Ibirapuera Park in São Paulo, Brazil. It was commissioned by the government of São Paulo in 1921 and completed in 1954. It commemorates the 17th-century '' bandeiras'', or settling expeditions into the interior of Brazil, and the ''bandeirantes'' that participated in them. The monument is huge and in a prominent location, making it an easily identifiable part of the landscape of São Paulo. The monument was erected in the south-central area of the city in the Praça Armando de Salles Oliveira (Armando de Salles Oliveira Square), opposite the Palácio 9 de Julho, headquarters of the

Legislative Assembly of São Paulo The Legislative Assembly of the State of São Paulo ( pt, Assembleia Legislativa do Estado de São Paulo) is the unicameral legislative branch of São Paulo (state), São Paulo state in Brazil. The building where the legislative assembly is loca ...

Controversy

The monument has been the subject of criticism for neglecting the darker side of the bandeirantes, who killed and enslaved members of the indigenous peoples of Brazil. The monument regularly attracts vandalism, such as red paint symbolizing blood. Others have noted the high cost of a day to maintain and clean the monument of graffiti. In the wake of the global protests which erupted after the

murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification (jurisprudence), justification or valid excuse (legal), excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person wit ...

George Floyd George Perry Floyd Jr. (October 14, 1973 – May 25, 2020) was an African-American man who was murdered by a police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota, during an arrest made after a store clerk suspected Floyd may have used a counterfeit twe ...

, the monument has come under renewed criticism for its celebration of slavers and demands for its removal.Latin America’s Controversial Statues: Will They Fall?
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Gallery

File:Monumento a las Banderas, São Paulo, Brasil.jpg, ''Monumento às Bandeiras''

References

{{Coord, 23.5800, S, 46.6607, W, source:wikidata, display=title Monuments and memorials in São Paulo Public art in Brazil Tourist attractions in São Paulo Equestrian statues in Brazil Ships in art