Monument to San Martín

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria · Category: Art · Subcategory: Sculpture · Year: 1961 · Authors: Luis Perlotti

The origin of this tribute is linked to the city of Quilmes in Buenos Aires, which shares its name with a neighbourhood in Tafira Baja. Precisely, this common name indirectly prompted the creation of the monument, following a proposal by José Góez Romero, a native of the neighbourhood but resident in the Argentine city.

Indeed, it was in 1957 when Góez proposed to the locals the convenience of donating a bust to Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, representing General San Martín. Commercial, industrial institutions and individuals supported the initiative, so a coordinating committee was formed, chaired by the promoter. He contacted the Argentine sculptor Luis Perlotti, who created the work and delivered it in 1961, the same year he had also made, commissioned by the Spanish Government, one of the high reliefs representing the Crossing of the Andes, which adorns the sculptural ensemble erected in Madrid to the same figure.

Little more is known about the production of this artist, born in Buenos Aires in 1890. He is credited with an uncommon precocity in his work. He received various awards, including the prize awarded in 1929 in Seville for the creation of a ceramic group and the one he received at the 1932 Autumn Salon of La Plata. Works from his catalogue are preserved in the museums of Lima, Potosí and Montevideo.

The location of this ensemble had little impact, being practically unknown to the people of Gran Canaria. Conceived as a symbol of Spanish-Argentine brotherhood, it brought together in April 1975 the consul and members of the Argentine community in Gran Canaria and some local councillors, in an event organised to affirm the rights of the South American nation over the Falkland Islands.

It presides over the large square adjoining the church in the Quilmes neighbourhood, where various streets are named after places in that country. A tall square base, covered with the same tiles that form the pavement of the enclosure, leads to a stone pedestal made up of three steps and a parallelepiped that bears no inscription.

The liberator's name is engraved on the lower part of the chest of the effigy, just up to where it is represented, while the author's signature and the date of execution can be seen on the left side of the same. The portrait, bronze and realistically treated, shows in detail the epaulettes and decorations framing the opening of his military attire. His upright face reflects confidence, highlighting the liveliness of the eyes and the careful execution of the hair.

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