Tribute to Tom Carby

Santa Cruz de Tenerife · Category: Art · Subcategory: Sculpture · Year: 2010 · Authors: Francisco Hernández Díaz

This sculpture, located in 2010 in the heart of the Cuesta Piedra neighbourhood, was made by the Santa Cruz sculptor Francisco Hernández Díaz as a tribute to Tom Carby, founder of the murga Los Diablos Locos, with a long tradition in the Santa Cruz carnival.

Tom Carby, whose real name was Tomás Carvajal Rodríguez, after spending his childhood in the Los Llanos neighbourhood, moved to live in the social housing of Cuesta Piedra. He was a great boxing enthusiast, even competing as an amateur pugilist. Fully involved in the Santa Cruz carnivals, Carby founded in 1971, together with several friends from the neighbourhood, the murga Diablos Locos. A beloved figure of the festivities, Tom died on 31 October 1994 and will always be remembered for his blonde wig, his glasses and his radiant smile.

The sculpture we see in Cuesta Piedra was modelled at the Modelart artistic foundry in La Laguna under the design of Francisco Hernández and represents the character with a very dynamic expression.

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