| Original caption: “The last remaining statue in Madrid of late Spanish dictator General Francisco Franco stands outside a Spanish civil servant’s building in central Madrid.” Originally commissioned by the Junta Artística de la Ciudad Universitaria de Madrid in 1943, Spanish sculptor José Capuz (August 29, 1884 – March 9, 1964) started work on an equestrian statue of Spanish Fascist Dictator Generalissimo Francisco Franco (December 4, 1892 – November 20, 1975) in 1950, intended for the Arco de la Victoria (“Arch of Victory”), commemorating the Nationalist victory in the Spanish Civil War. The statues was completed in 1956. At a cost of 280,000 pesetas. Franco decided he didn’t want his likeness on top of the arch, so the equestrian statue was moved to the newly created Ministerio de la Vivienda (“Ministry of Housing”) on July 18, 1959. Later, in 1964, the city councils of Valencia and Santander installed 2 copies of this sculpture in their respective Plazas del Generalísimo. Franco’s equestrian figure had been located since 1959 in the square of San Juan de la Cruz (barrio de Nuevos Ministerios), on the sidewalk of the Ministry of the Environment. After Franco’s death, the statue was defaced with paint several times, while Fascists saw it as a place to rally against Communism and the Spanish Government. On the night of March 16, 2005, the Ministry of Development removed the statue with no public warning. Police in riot gear surrounded the workers. On March 3, 2009, High Court of Justice in Madrid declared the removal “null and void” because the Ministry of Development did not take into account the legal determinations for the protection of the historical-artistic heritage. The decision, they say, was taken without taking into account the opinion of the owner of the statue, the Complutense University of Madrid. The Francisco Franco Foundation had sued to return the statue, but was found to not have been harmed, so no compensation was granted. The Court found that returning the statue had no “practical end.” The Supreme Court refused the appeal because the cost did not exceed a 150,000 Euros for the removal. No public or private institution assumed ownership as of 2021; the statue has been warehoused since it was dismantled. Spanish Fascists gathered at the empty plinth for a time every November 20, the anniversary of Franco’s death, to give the Fascist salute and commemorate his rule. | |
| Image Filename | wwii0813.jpg |
| Image Size | 153.09 KB |
| Image Dimensions | 1068 x 1500 |
| Photographer | Denis Doyle |
| Photographer Title | |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | November 13, 1995 |
| Location | |
| City | Madrid |
| State or Province | Madrid |
| Country | Spain |
| Archive | |
| Record Number | |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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