Artist
Artist: Unknown
Date Installed
Installed 1989
Location
Chalmers St Path, 5010 Chalmers Street, SURRY HILLS, 2010
Project
Project: Ibero American Plaza
Tag
Tags: Bronze, Multicultural

Chalmers St Path, 5010 Chalmers Street, SURRY HILLS, 2010

Artwork Description

The bust of Cuban national hero, Jose Marti, is made from bronze and stands approximately 25 centimetres tall. It is placed on a brick base of approximately 1.5 metres in height with a sandstone top approximately 10 centimetres thick.

It is one of a series of busts of famous Latin American heroes on display in Plaza Iberoamericana on Chalmers Street commemorating the contribution of Spanish and Portuguese speaking people to the history of Australia. Unlike the other busts, Jose Marti is mounted on a brick plinth rather than sandstone.

SUBJECT

Jose Marti was born January 28, 1853 in Havana, Cuba and died on May 19, 1895. He is regarded as a Cuban national hero for fighting for Cuban independence. He was also a poet and journalist.

COMMISSION

In a letter dated 10 July 1991, the Consul-General for Cuba advertised that the Cuban Community of Sydney wished to present a bust of the Cuban national hero, Jose Marti, for installation in the Plaza Iberoamericana. This statue was unveiled in early October 1991, despite Council’s apparent concern that it was quite large in comparison to the existing statuary.

INSCRIPTIONS

A plaque on the sandstone plinth reads: “Jose Marti / (1853-1895) / National hero of the Republic of Cuba. Teacher, / Journalist, politician, writer and poet. Inspired / the Moncada Barracks attack of July 26, 1953. / Jose Marti embodied the dream and struggle for / a unified Latin America. Died fighting for Cuban / Independence on May 19, 1895.

REFERENCES

Louella McCarthy and Paul Ashton (eds.), Sydney Open Museum Historical Survey, Sydney City Council, 1994, item 21, pp 139-162, liv-lx

Ibero American Plaza

First conceived in 1986 as a Bicentennial project, the Plaza Ibero Americana began as an idea to acknowledge the contribution of Spanish and Portuguese-speaking people to the history of Australia.

It was opened in 1988 and remodelled in 2000.

Located on Chalmers Street, Surry Hills, the Plaza Ibero Americana consists of two statues and 11 busts representing significant historical figures and Latin American national heroes.

It features a series of busts donated by nations including Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, Spain, the Philippines, Mexico, Peru, Portugal, Uruguay and Venezuela.

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