{"id":235892,"date":"2026-01-13T16:57:10","date_gmt":"2026-01-13T16:57:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/235892\/"},"modified":"2026-01-13T16:57:10","modified_gmt":"2026-01-13T16:57:10","slug":"statues-of-roman-gods-in-malaga-look-like-comic-superheroes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/235892\/","title":{"rendered":"Statues of Roman gods in Malaga \u2018look like comic superheroes\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

A row has erupted over plans for large statues of a Roman god and goddess in a Spanish city, which critics say would look more at home in a comic book than in a historic port.<\/p>\n

The plans to erect an 11-metre sculpture depicting Neptune and a 5-metre one of Venus at the gates of Malaga\u2019s central port have prompted fierce opposition from the city\u2019s academy of fine art and citizens who have launched a campaign against it.<\/p>\n

The bronze works are due to be installed on three-metre pedestals at the main pedestrian entrance to the Puerto de M\u00e1laga, a short walk from the historic centre and main shopping artery in the southern Spanish city. Two lions are to be placed at their feet. <\/p>\n

The works have been made by Gin\u00e9s Serr\u00e1n and will remain in place for at least 25 years under an agreement with the port authority.<\/p>\n

\"Artist<\/p>\n

Gin\u00e9s Serr\u00e1n\u2019s sculptures of Neptune and Venus are due to be displayed on plinths in Malaga<\/p>\n

GIN\u00c9S SERR\u00c1N-PAG\u00c1N<\/p>\n

But the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Telmo, one of Malaga\u2019s most respected cultural institutions, has issued an unusually blunt public statement condemning the project. It described the sculptures as \u201cpretentious and grandiloquent\u201d with an \u201cunmistakably kitsch appeal\u201d, adding that they were \u201cmore typical of superhero comics from the Marvel universe\u201d than of a historic Mediterranean port.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Calling all art lovers: 25 breaks that are hot right now<\/a><\/p>\n

Rosario Camacho, the academy chairwoman, told the local newspaper, El Pais: \u201cWhen we saw them starting to put up the pedestals, we began to wonder what they were going to do there. And when we found out about the project we decided to issue the statement.\u201d The sculptures create a visual and physical barrier between the historic centre and the sea, she added. <\/p>\n

Architects, artists and academics have added their voices to the criticism. A citizen-led signature campaign against the plans has also begun. <\/p>\n

\"Plinths<\/p>\n

The pedestals where the statues are due to be displayed<\/p>\n

The city\u2019s mayor, Francisco de la Torre, said: \u201cIt is a debatable issue and it is in a very visible location.\u201d He added that the possibility of treating the installation as a \u201cshort-term temporary exhibition\u201d should be considered.<\/p>\n

\u2022 The edgy Barcelona arts scene encouraging visitors beyond the beach<\/a><\/p>\n

Serr\u00e1n rejected the criticism, saying he feels personally targeted. \u201cI don\u2019t know why this woman [Camacho], for reasons we don\u2019t know \u2014 personal or otherwise \u2014 began to defame, insult and attack me as an artist,\u201d he said. \u201cThere is always someone who tries to bring down a project of this kind, so colossal in time, money and dimensions.\u201d<\/p>\n

The sculptor said the cost of the installation \u2014 \u20ac70,000 \u2014 was covered by the port authority and that he had personally paid for the sculptures, which he values at \u20ac3 million. They were constructed to his design in China.<\/p>\n

\"Sculpture<\/p>\n

The bronze sculpture of Neptune with a fishing net will be installed in the Spanish port city<\/p>\n

GIN\u00c9S SERR\u00c1N-PAG\u00c1N<\/p>\n

Serr\u00e1n said the figures were conceived with local references in mind, depicting Neptune with a fishing net to evoke M\u00e1laga\u2019s maritime tradition and Venus holding a sun as a nod to the Costa del Sol. He argued that the sculptures should be installed as soon as possible so that residents can \u201cget used to them\u201d, insisting that, over time, they will become \u201can icon of the city\u201d.<\/p>\n

However, Jes\u00fas Mar\u00edn, the academy\u2019s dean, said the decision to install the sculptures had been taken without proper consultation from cultural institutions or specialist experts. He described the handling of the project as \u201cvery frivolous\u201d and that the artistic quality of the works themselves was \u201cdebatable\u201d. The central problem, he added, lay in the prominence of the site. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A row has erupted over plans for large statues of a Roman god and goddess in a Spanish…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":235893,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[437,434,435,436,438,146,85,46],"class_list":{"0":"post-235892","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-arts-and-design","8":"tag-arts","9":"tag-arts-and-design","10":"tag-artsanddesign","11":"tag-artsdesign","12":"tag-design","13":"tag-entertainment","14":"tag-il","15":"tag-israel"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/235892","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=235892"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/235892\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/235893"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=235892"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=235892"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=235892"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}