Benito Juarez (Alciati)
Encyclopedia
Benito Juárez is the title of a work of art by Enrique Alciati
, located at the intersection of Virginia Avenue
and New Hampshire Avenue
in Washington, District of Columbia
, United States. The statue is a part of the city's Statues of the Liberators
collection and is a tribute to former president of Mexico
, Benito Juárez
.
base and is inscribed:
The front base reads:
The names of the architects, Luis Sosa Villasenor and Louis Ortiz Macedo, are written on the lower back corner of the base, along with the date: DECIEMBRE 1968.
from President Lyndon B. Johnson
. The original statue, which stands in Oaxaca, Mexico
, was cast in Rome by the Nelli Foundry in 1891. The Washington statue is a cast of the original. It was authorized on October 17, 1968 and was cast at Fundidores Artisticos in Mexico City under the guidance of R. Moreno. The plasterwork
was completed by Luis Ortiz Monesterio. The granite base was designed in the United States. The back of the base has a hidden urn
which contains soil from San Pablo Guelatao
, where Juárez was born. The piece sits in a plaza at an intersection with an inscription that reads:
The sculpture is owned and maintained by the National Park Service
(NPS).
's Save Outdoor Sculpture!
surveyed the sculpture and stated its conversation status as well maintained. Starting in November 2011, the National Park Service began repairs and rehabilitation on the monument and plaza. The base of the statue deteriorated, needing repair, and in November 2005 temporary restraining was placed around the base of the statue to help control the slippage of the facing stones on the monument base. A temporary barrier was placed around the base as well, to deter pedestrian access. In 2010 the NPS contracted Oehrlein & Associates Architects to survey the sculpture and develop a repair plan. Using that report, NPS planned to repair the granite on both the pedestal and in the plaza, clean and repair the statue, repair loose lettering and reinstall missing lettering, and finally, waterproof the statue. The work, due to be completed by spring 2012, will be completed on site.
Enrique Alciati
Enrique Alciati was a French/Italian sculptor and teacher, born in Marseille, France, who contributed various sculptures in France and Mexico. His most notable artwork is the Winged Victory that crowns the Independence Column in downtown Mexico City.He began his career in Marseille as a sculptor...
, located at the intersection of Virginia Avenue
Virginia Avenue
Virginia Avenue is a street in the Northwest, Southwest, and Southeast quadrants of Washington, D.C. Like other state-named streets in Washington, it diagonally crosses the grid pattern formed by lettered and numbered streets....
and New Hampshire Avenue
New Hampshire Avenue
New Hampshire Avenue is a diagonal street in Washington, D.C., beginning at the Kennedy Center and extending northeast for about 5 miles and then continuing into Maryland where it is designated Maryland Route 650. New Hampshire Avenue, however, is not contiguous...
in Washington, District of Columbia
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, United States. The statue is a part of the city's Statues of the Liberators
Statues of the Liberators
A series of Statues of the Liberators of western-hemisphere countries from colonial rule is found along Virginia Avenue, N.W., in Washington, D.C...
collection and is a tribute to former president of Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, Benito Juárez
Benito Juárez
Benito Juárez born Benito Pablo Juárez García, was a Mexican lawyer and politician of Zapotec origin from Oaxaca who served five terms as president of Mexico: 1858–1861 as interim, 1861–1865, 1865–1867, 1867–1871 and 1871–1872...
.
Description
The sculpture is a full bust, made of bronze, of Benito Juárez standing with his left arm raised and pointing into the distance. His right hand rests on a book, called Reforma, on top of a low pedestal. He wears a short double-breasted jacket with a long cape over his shoulders. The sculpture sits on a graniteGranite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
base and is inscribed:
- A. CENCETFI (sic)
- SCULTORE
- ROME 1891
The front base reads:
- RESPECT FOR THE RIGHTS
- OF OTHERS IS PEACE
- BENITO JUAREZ
- 1806 1872
- THE PEOPLE OF MEXICO TO THE PEOPLE
- OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
- EL RESPECTO AL DERECHO AJENO ES LA PAZ
- BENITO JUAREZ
- 1806 1872
- EL PUEBLO DE MEXICO AL PUEBLO
- DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS DE AMERICA
The names of the architects, Luis Sosa Villasenor and Louis Ortiz Macedo, are written on the lower back corner of the base, along with the date: DECIEMBRE 1968.
Information
The sculpture was a gift to the United States from the people of Mexico in exchange for a statue of Abraham LincolnAbraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from March 1861 until his assassination in April 1865. He successfully led his country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis – the American Civil War – preserving the Union, while ending slavery, and...
from President Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States after his service as the 37th Vice President of the United States...
. The original statue, which stands in Oaxaca, Mexico
Oaxaca, Mexico
Oaxaca, Mexico, may refer to:*The state of Oaxaca, one of the 32 component federal entities of the United Mexican States*Oaxaca, Oaxaca, capital city of that state...
, was cast in Rome by the Nelli Foundry in 1891. The Washington statue is a cast of the original. It was authorized on October 17, 1968 and was cast at Fundidores Artisticos in Mexico City under the guidance of R. Moreno. The plasterwork
Plasterwork
Plasterwork refers to construction or ornamentation done with plaster, such as a layer of plaster on an interior wall or plaster decorative moldings on ceilings or walls. This is also sometimes called pargeting...
was completed by Luis Ortiz Monesterio. The granite base was designed in the United States. The back of the base has a hidden urn
Urn
An urn is a vase, ordinarily covered, that usually has a narrowed neck above a footed pedestal. "Knife urns" placed on pedestals flanking a dining-room sideboard were an English innovation for high-style dining rooms of the late 1760s...
which contains soil from San Pablo Guelatao
San Pablo Guelatao
San Pablo Guelatao is a town in the Mexican state of Oaxaca and the seat of the municipality of Guelatao de Juárez, about 55 km north of the city of Oaxaca...
, where Juárez was born. The piece sits in a plaza at an intersection with an inscription that reads:
- En este sitio fue depositada
- tierra de Guelatao, Oaxaca,
- lugar de origen del presidente
- Benito Juarez
- 7 de enero de 1969.
The sculpture is owned and maintained by the National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
(NPS).
Condition
In 1993 the Smithsonian InstitutionSmithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
's Save Outdoor Sculpture!
Save Outdoor Sculpture!
Save Outdoor Sculpture! is a community-based effort to identify, document, and conserve outdoor sculpture in the United States. By fostering awareness and appreciation, SOS! aims to advocate proper care of a nationwide public resource....
surveyed the sculpture and stated its conversation status as well maintained. Starting in November 2011, the National Park Service began repairs and rehabilitation on the monument and plaza. The base of the statue deteriorated, needing repair, and in November 2005 temporary restraining was placed around the base of the statue to help control the slippage of the facing stones on the monument base. A temporary barrier was placed around the base as well, to deter pedestrian access. In 2010 the NPS contracted Oehrlein & Associates Architects to survey the sculpture and develop a repair plan. Using that report, NPS planned to repair the granite on both the pedestal and in the plaza, clean and repair the statue, repair loose lettering and reinstall missing lettering, and finally, waterproof the statue. The work, due to be completed by spring 2012, will be completed on site.
External links
- Benito Juarez on dcMemorials.