After having been in the Plaza de Cibelles since 29 April, the sculpture by Rafael Canogar (Toledo, 1935) has been moved to the Carabanchel neighbourhood, in front of Comillas Park. The statue represents the Greek God of communication.
Made of Corten steel, it is 4.5 metres high, 3.6 metres wide and weighs more than five tonnes. In the sculpture, Hermes is represented by a deconstructed head, a shape Canogar has been experimenting with since the 1980s, influenced by the work of Julio González, when it comes to both sculpture and painting. The piece has been acquired by Museum of Contemporary Art in Madrid and is permanently on display at the junction of Calle Antonio Leyva and Calle Josefa Fernández Buterga, in Carabanchel. It symbolises the city’s commitment to this new arts district.
Rafael Canogar is one of the pioneers of contemporary Spanish art and one of the leading representatives of Informalism, from his key role in El Paso Group (1957-1960). He is a multidisciplinary artist who masters painting, sculpture, drawing and printing with an artistic career spanning more than seven decades and he is now in a period of creative fulfilment.
Throughout his career, he has won the Spanish National Fine Arts Prize and has been named an academic member of the San Fernando Royal Academy of Fine Arts and Chevalier des Arts et Lettres, among other awards and recognitions.
