A monument to Buenaventura Durruti
[Leon, Spain] – Spanish newspapers report that the Leon City Council recently authorized the placement of a stone moment honoring Buenaventura Durruti in the Santa Ana Plaza in the Leon neighborhood in which Durruti was born in 1896. Constructed by the artist Diego Segura and financed by the CGT (Confederación General del Trabajo), it will be unveiled on November 20 this year, seventy-three years after Durruti died while fighting the fascists in the “Battle of Madrid.”
Durruti was a hero to millions during the Spanish Civil War of 1936-1939 and remains a symbol of anarchist militancy and insurgency to this day. If you would like to learn about his life, there is no better source than Abel Paz’s Durruti in the Spanish Revolution. If you would like to learn about the Spanish Civil War generally, you have a LOT to choose from in AK’s catalog.
The image to the right is a sketch of the sculpture. Its title is “Hálito Durruti,” which translates as the “breath” or “breeze of Durruti.” The artist has tried to instill the stone sculpture with Durruti’s creative breath by hollowing out the block’s center, which will be lined with polished bronze and illuminated.
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