19 pieces make up the exhibition that has been appreciated since last May 25 and 26, when Heritage Day was celebrated in our country. However, this Wednesday the exhibition was inaugurated, which will remain for more than 40 days at the National Maritime Museum in Valparaíso.
The exhibition includes statuettes and busts of figures such as Bernardo O’Higgins, Manuel Blanco Encalada, Arturo Prat, Arturo Fernández Vial, Luis Uribe Orrego, among other important figures in the history of our country.
The exhibition covers the history of the institution from the founding of the Navy, passing through the Naval Battle of Iquique, Punta Gruesa, the Battle of Angamos, as well as a tribute to drums, bugles and marine gunners of the Esmeralda corvette.
“The number of visits to the exhibition indicates that, fortunately, Chileans have strong and passionate feelings of belonging. This exhibition is a tribute to preserving memory, there are heroes who today for the first time will receive honors such as some cabin boys who participated in the Naval Combat of Punta Gruesa, men who did superhuman acts for our country. “This is an example to make us feel proud to be Chileans and that we have to take care of our historical memory,” mentions the sculptor and Naval Yacht Reserve Officer of the Navy, Héctor Valdés.
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EXHIBITION CAN ALSO BE SEE IN SANTIAGO
The pieces were first modeled in clay and the vast majority are made with bronze and patinated resin, the dimensions vary, those ranging from 10 x 15 cm to others that are 60 x 12 cm. “It took us two years to complete all of these works, I started with them before applying to be a Navy reservist. Three of the pieces were made in Santiago, but I made a good part of them in my available time in Spain,” adds the artist.
“Great Characters of History” will be at the National Maritime Museum until July 31. However, a replica of it can also be visited in the central hall of the Municipality of Lo Barnechea until next June 15. An exhibition that seeks to connect the naval history of our country with citizenship.
