The Council of Tenerife has ruled out requesting the Government of the Canary Islands to declare Well of Cultural Interest (BIC) for the Monument to Victory in the capital of Tenerife, known as the monument to Francofor lacking exceptional artistic values.
The president of the insular corporation, Peter Martinhas ensured in this regard that both the study of University of La Laguna as the report of the Technical Unit of Historical Heritage are decisive, and defends that it has been proceeded in a “very rigorous” manner.
“Beyond my personal opinion – I believe that all the Francoist symbols that exalt the coup d’etat of 36- the Cabildo has made a technical analysis on the sculpture of Juan de Ávalos”, Pedro Martín has specified.
And the report, like the one commissioned from the University of La Laguna, concludes that the monument to Franco lacks exceptional artistic values and that it does not deserve, therefore, the condition of Asset of Cultural Interest, he stressed.
Both reports analyzed the historical importance of the sculptural production of Juan de Ávalosauthor of the source, as well as its impact and repercussion in the historiography of art and its presence in the main collections and centers of contemporary art.
Also carried out a technical and formal analysis of sculptureof its formal and conceptual contributions in its historical context and of its repercussion and visibility in the main bibliographical sources of contemporary art, and it was concluded that the monument to Franco, located at the confluence of the Rambla and Avenida de Anaga, does not have exceptional artistic values.
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The insular director of Territory Planning and Historical Heritage, Emilio Fariña, has highlighted that the Cabildo, as mandated by the Canary Islands Cultural Heritage Lawhas done what is appropriate “scrupulously complying with the law”.
Fariña has also stressed that both reports are “absolutely clear” and agree that the sculpture by Juan de Ávalos “lacks sufficient technical and historical values to initiate the initiation of the file for the declaration of Well of Cultural Interest, with the category of monument”.
For all these reasons, the Cabildo has rejected the requests to initiate the BIC declaration file of the monument to Franco Presented by the Royal Canarian Academy of Fine Arts of San Miguel Arcángel and by the Association for the Research and Protection of the San Miguel Arcángel Historical Heritage.
Recovery of historical memory
On the other hand, the Cabildo de Tenerife has approved in the governing council a call for subsidies, worth 100,000 euros, to carry out projects for the recovery of the historical memory. These grants are intended for the island’s town halls, which may receive a maximum of 10,000 euros per action.
This initiative aims to recover and recognize the truth of the events that occurred in Tenerife, by virtue of the Law of Historical Memory of the Canary Islands, which includes the right to moral reparation of the Canarian victims of the civil war and the Franco dictatorship.
The call includes the development of research, study and dissemination actions, the removal of Francoist symbols and the carrying out of awareness and dissemination campaigns.
the amount minimum aid It will be 1,500 euros per performance and the maximum of 10,000 euros, has specified the Cabildo de Tenerife, which indicates that the deadline for submitting applications will end on April 12.
All the municipalities of the island (individually or their dependent public entities) will be able to avail themselves of these subsidies and public companies and other municipal entities and associations are excluded.
