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Handles, closers and even historical monuments. The Palermo icon Monument of the Spanish -whose real name is Monument to the Magna Carta and the Four Regions- suffered various acts of vandalism in recent months in which his arms, legs and hands were cut off, and several bronze pieces that belonged to the sculpture were stolen. The work, under a regime of sponsorship from private companies in exchange for advertising, had been restored along with other Buenos Aires emblems in 2022.
From the Ministry of Public Space and Urban Hygiene of the City they explained to THE NATION This happened more than 13 months ago, approximately. six months after the restoration and enhancement of the work was inaugurated. On alert for possible damage of this style, The Buenos Aires portfolio decided to protect the rest of the pieces renovated under sponsorship from vandals..
“We are currently working on replacing the missing pieces. [en el Monumento de los Españoles], evaluating alternatives that generate the same visual effect but do not have economic value like bronze“, they indicated, and assured that these recovered fragments will be kept in the care of Monuments and Works of Art (MOA) of the City – also known as Patio de las Esculturas -, one of the most important workshops where the sculptures that are damaged with the aim of “preserve heritage and cultural essence” of the city of Buenos Aires.
In this sense, the undersecretary of Urban Landscape of the GCBA and member of the National Monuments Commission, Juan Vacasgave details to THE NATION about materials that could replace bronze, which for years became an object of desire for criminals. “We originally scanned the monument and made the pieces in 3D, which were then cast in bronze. We still have those molds but we are going to make them, probably, in fiberglass material”, he indicated.
The monument, located at the intersection of Libertador and Sarmiento avenues, has two different parts: the sculptures at the top, which include the figure of the Argentine Republic and the women that surround it; and the base, which is composed of the fountain and the bronze sculptures, where four regions of the country are represented, the Andes Mountains, the Río de la Plata, the Pampa and the Chaco.
Currently, the fountain has almost no water and you can see missing pipes and grates. Likewise, the bronze figures were also vandalized due to the value of their material and several are missing their feet, hands and arms.
“In the City we have a problem with thefts of this type of materials in general. In each economic crisis the value of the metal becomes very attractive. Recently, metal thefts are associated with the current situation, but we are not registering them in monuments,” considered the official, while ruling out other acts of vandalism in other public monuments because they are usually protected.
And he added: “We have problems with the metals of public lighting and street furniture, but not in monuments, since many were fenced and motion detection systems were installed”. The monument in question cannot be protected in this way since it is located in a busy area, Vacas said.
“Things are restored once security is guaranteed”said the Undersecretary of Urban Landscape, who detailed the maintenance tasks carried out in the more than 2,500 works of art in public spaces of the City: “Marbles are replaced and cleaned throughout the City, which has a large heritage. They are cleaned and we also periodically approach everyone to check if there is anything loose or something they detect is missing.”
For its part, the Buenos Aires Ministry of Security indicated to THE NATION that continuous operations are carried out in the places where it has been detected that the stolen pieces are sold. “We work day after day to avoid this with the inspections that have been carried out since last year in the metal plants. 49 places have been closed and only less than 10 remain operational″, they highlighted.
“These places are inspected every week by the Government Control Agency (AGC), the Environmental Protection Agency (APRA) and people from the ministry,” they explained to this medium and added that the thieves take “everything they can.” sell”, even brass pipes, doorknobs and mailboxes.
“The restoration was carried out between 2022 and 2023, but much more was not done from the City afterwards,” criticized sources close to the Buenos Aires management leadership consulted by this medium, and thus held the government of the former head of Government, Horacio Rodríguez Larreta, responsible. Although they recognized that vandalism is a problem that crosses administrations, they noted that the works have been broken and in poor condition for more than a year.
Thus, they pointed out: “We took office only six months ago. We would love to see these issues improved, but in such a short time we cannot deal with something that has been vandalized for two years.”. And they indicated: “It is not against the inheritance received, but it is a point to take into account. They have to give us some time”.
