The Monument to Galdós in El Retiro

The Monument to Galdós is a stone sculpture in Madrid, Spain, created by the artist Victorio Macho. Located on the southern part of El Retiro, the work was commissioned in 1918 through an initiative by friends and admirers of the writer, including the Quintero brothers, José Francés, González Blanco, and Emiliano Ramírez Ángel. The material costs for the project were funded through a popular subscription.

The sculpture represents Galdós toward the end of his life. He is depicted sitting in an armchair with arms in the form of lions, with his legs covered by a blanket. The work brought fame to Macho, who was then a young artist and had previously conducted a study of Galdós's facial features.

The monument was unveiled during an emotive ceremony on 20 January 1919, attended by Galdós himself. Among those in attendance were Tomás Borrás Bermejo, Emiliano Ramírez Ángel, Ramón Pérez de Ayala, and Enrique de Mesa. An ageing Galdós, who was ill of uremia and nearly completely blind, felt the statue with his fingers and told Macho that it looked so much like him.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons