History
In 1996, a plan was created to beautify the banks of the Cali River on the city’s north side. For this project, Tejada donated this sculpture to the city. The sculpture was created in bronze in the studio of Rafael Franco in Bogotá. To transport the sculpture to the city, the roof of the studio had to be removed. ''El Gato del Río'' was inaugurated on July 3, 1996, which is celebrated as the independence day in Cali. The monument was situated on the ''Avenida del Río'' in an area with high foot traffic. Below the sculpture is a plaque that reads:El gato del río Escultura en bronce elaborada por el maestro Hernando Tejada Bajo el auspicio del gobernador del Valle del Cauca Germán Villegas Villegas y el alcalde de Santiago de Cali Mauricio Guzmán Cuevas Santiago de Cali Julio 3 de 1996
''Las novias del gato''
In 2006, the city planned a revitalization project for the area, which included adding new sculptures near ''El Gato del Río'' by other artists. The project consisted of adding 15 new cat sculptures of the same size and shape but painted by different Colombian artists. These new cat sculptures became known as ''las novies del gato'' ("the cat's girlfriends"). Famous Colombian artists contributed cats, including Maripaz Jaramillo, Roberto Molano, Diego Pombo, Cecilia Coronel, Pedro Alcántara, andSee also
* La Tertulia MuseumReferences
{{reflist 1996 sculptures Buildings and structures in Cali Bronze sculptures in Colombia