The president of the Seville Port Authority (APS), Rafael Carmona, has inaugurated today with the Counsel of Tourism, Culture and Sport, Arturo Bernal, and the mayor of Seville, Antonio Muñoz, the monument in tribute to Juan Sebastián Elcano in the New York pier, located next to Los Remedios Bridge, in homage to the Spanish sailor who completed the First Tour of the World 500 years ago.
“From the Port of Seville, mile zero of the first circumnavigation from which Magellan departed and to which Juan Sebastián Elcano returned, we want to highlight the role played by the port and maritime city, and remember what this feat meant for history of humanity”, highlighted Rafael Carmona. “With this work of art modeled in clay in the workshop of the sculptor Paco Parra and cast in bronze, we place Elcano in the memory, present and future of Seville and its port”, added Carmona, “because we were protagonists and witnesses of exception of the First Around the World”, has pointed out the president of the APS.
“It has been more than four months of work during which we have accompanied the sculptor in each of his steps, from the first versions in clay, to the casting and final touches of the sculpture. During this process, we have shared the progress with the institutions that are working with us today, and we are very proud of the result achieved. For this reason, today we want to share this work of art with the public for the enjoyment of all those who walk along the dock”, added Carmona.
The sculpture reaches a height of about 4 meters. It is composed of a bronze bust of the Spanish sailor, surrounded by meridians that represent the globality of the feat and arranged on a corten steel pedestal. Under the bust and on the plinth are the coats of arms of Spain, Andalusia and Seville, along with the graphic identity of the Seville port, and a commemorative plaque with an extract from the letter that Elcano sent to Emperor Charles V at the end of the maritime feat.
