The famous New York Liberty Statue It is an indisputable icon of architecture and monuments of the United States. It was installed on a small island south of Manhattan in 1886 as a gift from the French government for the centenary of the United States Independence.
The statue of freedom in Argentina: What is its location?
This sculpture almost three meters high (90 less than the most famous version) It is located in Barrancas Plaza de Belgranoin the homonymous neighborhood, specifically on La Pampa street.
A mystery to resolve: the origin of the Statue of Liberty in Buenos Aires
Numerous people have tried to rebuild the origin of this sculpture, although in several aspects It is still a mystery.
Your installation date of 1875 It was confirmed in 1990 after an exchange between the Ministry of Culture of the City of Buenos Aires and a Frenchman, Francis Beaumatin, member of the Friends Club of the Statue of Liberty, who He saw a photo of the Argentine version in a magazine.
Despite this, the main factor that is still unknown until today is Who bought it.
According to the General Archive of the Argentine Nation, the statue was acquired by the Municipality of Buenos Aires. However, the Belgrano neighborhood was a provincial territory and He did not officially join the city until 1887.
Who was Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi? The French sculptor who created the statue of Liberty and the Lion of Belfort
Born in Colmar, France, in 1834, Bartholdi was an international renowned sculptor. In addition to the statue of liberty, he created other significant works, such as The lion of Belforta monument that honors French resistance during the Franco-Prussian war.
In collaboration with the engineer Alexandre Gustave Eiffel and the architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duche designed and built the famous figure in tribute to American democracy. This It represents Libertas, the Roman goddess of freedom.
Bartholdi He died in Paris on October 4, 1904. The cause of his death was the tuberculosisan infectious disease that affects the respiratory system and that at that time was difficult to treat.
Argentine sculpture inauguration: art and local admiration
In addition to his famous work in New York, Bartholdi also left his mark in other cities in the world, as in the port of Strasbourg, where there is a replica of the statue of freedom. This version, although smaller, has become a local symbol and attracts numerous tourists every year.
Bartholdi’s influence on monumental sculpture is not limited to his best known statues; He also designed sources and monuments in several European cities. His legacy lasts not only in architecture, but also in the way in which freedom and democracy are conceived through art.
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