Monument to Concepción Arenal (Madrid)
The Monument to Concepción Arenal is an instance of public art in Madrid, Spain. Located at the Parque del Oeste, it is dedicated to Concepción Arenal, 19th-century standout jurist and precursor of feminism.History and description
The monument was a work by José María Palma Burgos, a sculptor from Granada. It was funded via popular subscription.
The sculptural group consisted of a granite basement displaying the seated statue of Concepción Arenal, made of limestone and dressed with a judicial robe, sided to her right flank by an allegory of Peace cast in bronze, and a symbolization of the ideas of Liberty, Justice and Forgiveness, sculpted in stone, to her left flank.
An inscription at its base reads .
It was unveiled on 29 May 1934 at the plaza de Ruperto Chapí, located at the Parque del Oeste. Some of the institutional representatives attending the event were Niceto Alcalá Zamora, Pedro Rico, Rafael Sánchez Guerra, Victoria Kent, Álvaro de Albornoz, Gerardo Abad Conde, , , . The ceremony was also attended by a number of prominent women in the public sphere such as Concha Espina, Magda Donato, Matilde Muñoz, Pilar Millán Astray or among others. José María Poyán, Clara Campoamor and Vicente Cantos intervened as speakers.
The monument endured damage during the 1936–1939 Civil War. Following the end of the war, the monument underwent a restoration, directed by José María Palma himself with help from architect Pedro Muguruza.
The monument was moved to its current location within the park, near the Paseo Moret, in 1995.
