''Galdós'' or the Monument to Galdós is a sculpture in

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

, Spain. A work by

Victorio Macho Victorio Macho (December 23, 1887, in Palencia – July 13, 1966, in Toledo, Spain) was a renowned 20th-century Spanish sculptor. He is considered to be one of the greats of modern Spanish sculpture. His style was influenced by art deco. His ...

, it is dedicated to

Benito Pérez Galdós Benito María de los Dolores Pérez Galdós (; 10 May 1843 – 4 January 1920) was a Spanish Spanish Realist literature, realist novelist. He was a leading literary figure in 19th-century Spain, and some scholars consider him second only to Mi ...

. It lies on the southern part of El Retiro.

History and description

An initiative of friends and admirers of the writer such as the

Quintero brothers Serafín Álvarez Quintero (March 26, 1871 – April 12, 1938) and Joaquín Álvarez Quintero (January 20, 1873 – June 14, 1944) were Spanish dramatists. Biography Quintero brothers, photograph by Kaulak Born in Utrera, Seville Province in ...

, , González Blanco and , in 1918 the project was entrusted to

, who had already carried out a study of the facial features of Galdós in the past. The material costs were funded via popular subscription. The sculpture represents Galdós towards the end of his life, sitting on an armchair (with arms in the form of lions), with his legs covered by a blanket. The monument was unveiled during an emotive ceremony on 20 January 1919, attended by Galdós himself. Tomás Borrás Bermejo, Emiliano Ramírez Ángel,

Ramón Pérez de Ayala Ramón Pérez de Ayala y Fernández del Portal (9 August 1880 – 5 August 1962) was a Spanish writer. He was the Spanish ambassador to England in London (1931–1936) and voluntarily exiled himself to Argentina via France because of the ...

and Enrique de Mesa were among those in attendance. An ageing Galdós (he would die less than a year later)—ill of

uremia Uremia is the condition of having high levels of urea in the blood. Urea is one of the primary components of urine. It can be defined as an excess in the blood of amino acid and protein metabolism end products, such as urea and creatinine, which ...

and nearly completely blind—felt the statue with his fingers and told Macho: "Magnificent, my friend Macho. And he looks so much like me!". The work brought fame to the then young Macho and boosted his incipient career.

References

;Citations ;Bibliography * * * * {{authority control Monuments and memorials in Madrid Outdoor sculptures in Madrid Sculptures of men in Spain Buen Retiro Park Statues of writers Buildings and structures in Jerónimos neighborhood, Madrid