Velázquez's painting Las Meninas arrives in Caracas as urban art

(CNN in Spanish)– The final two “Meninas” figures were unveiled on Friday for a total of 19 life-sized sculptures that make up the “Meninas Caracas Gallery” urban art exhibition, which forms a version of the exhibition that ran for six years in Madrid and Andalusia. Now it is served in Chacao, a municipality located in the east of Greater Caracas.

Venezuelan visual artist Antonio Azato was the creator of the “Meninas Madrid Gallery” project in Spain and adapted the work to Venezuela by reinterpreting the famous and internationally recognized work of the Spanish painter Diego Velazquez, “Las Meninas”, and giving it different aspects, in this case of Venezuelan culture .

The design of “Meninas” is inspired by Venezuelan landscapes such as Los Roques or Angel Falls, and typical nature such as the araguana tree, the national tree, and the orchid, the flower that defines Venezuela's identity. As well as the parrots that cross the skies of Caracas every day. In history, with the image of El Libertador Simón Bolívar and in the heart of the economy with an oil well.

The organizers reported that they additionally selected five Venezuelans who they consider to be prominent and successful figures who represent the country in different fields to each design their own “menina.” The roster consists of salsa singer Oscar de Leon, soccer player Dina Castellanos, fashion designer Angel Sanchez, and Major League Baseball players Gleyber Torres and Ronald Acuña Jr.

The mayor of that municipality, Gustavo Duque, stressed during the presentation of the exhibition held on Tuesday that these works constitute a beautiful addition to the municipality, in order to transform it into a more cultural area by allowing residents to enjoy works of theirs. World famous art.

In Caracas, you can find 19 pieces on display in: Parque Cristal, Plaza Francia, Plaza La Castellana, Plaza Bolivar, Centro Cultural Chacao, Centro San Ignacio, Plaza Brione, and Plaza Los Palos Grandes, among other public places in the jurisdiction.

The original work “Las Meninas” by Velázquez dates from 1656 and is currently on display in the Prado Museum in Madrid.

The “Meninas Caracas Gallery” exhibition is expected to last about a month and a half, according to its organizers, and that once it ends, the works will be sold at auction to institutions such as Sinos Ayuda, which fights breast cancer, and the Sinus Ayuda Foundation, which fights breast cancer. The Venezuelan Foundation for the Treatment of Paralysis (Fundaprocura), Friends of Children with Cancer, and Fundana.