Statue of Christopher Columbus (San Francisco)

A statue of Christopher Columbus was installed in Pioneer Park, San Francisco, California.

Statue of Christopher Columbus
The statue in 2015
ArtistCount Vittorio di Colbertaldo
Year1957
MediumBronze
SubjectChristopher Columbus
Dimensions370 cm (12 ft)
Weight2 ton
LocationTelegraph Hill, San Francisco, California, U.S.
Coordinates37°48′10″N 122°24′22″W
OwnerSan Francisco

History

The statue was placed in the park in 1957, donated by the city's Italian-American community. The statue itself was sculpted by Count Vittorio di Colbertaldo of Verona, one of Benito Mussolini's hand picked ceremonial bodyguards known as the "Black Musketeers."[1][2] Colbertaldo doubled as the Musketeers's sculptor, producing statues which commemorated the organization.[3] The statue in Pioneer Park was cast in Verona and then shipped to San Francisco.[4] A second Columbus statue done by Colbertaldo is in Miami's Bayfront Park.[5]

Vandalism and removal

In 2019, the statue was doused in red paint, symbolizing spilt blood, as an act of protest. The restoration costed about $70,000.[6]

On June 18, 2020, the San Francisco Arts Commission (SFAC) removed the statue following the removal of other controversial statues during the George Floyd protests.[7] Rachelle Axel of the SFAC has said that the statue was removed as it "doesn’t align with San Francisco’s values or our commitment to racial justice” and in light of recent threats on social media to throw the statue off Pier 31 and into the San Francisco Bay.[6]

See also

References
  1. "Santa Cruz Sentinel 26 August 1957 — California Digital Newspaper Collection". cdnc.ucr.edu. Retrieved 2020-04-19.
  2. "Calexico Chronicle, Volume XXXIV, Number 181, 21 March 1938". cdnc.ucr.edu. Retrieved 2020-04-19.
  3. ""Calexico Chronicle, Volume XXXIV, Number 181, 21 March 1938"".
  4. "Santa Cruz Sentinel, Volume 101, Number 201, 26 August 1957".
  5. "Columbus Monuments Page".
  6. Fracassa, Dominic (2020-06-18). "San Francisco removes Christopher Columbus statue at Coit Tower ahead of planned protest". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2020-06-18.
  7. KGO (2020-06-18). "Christopher Columbus statue removed at Coit Tower in San Francisco". ABC7 San Francisco. Retrieved 2020-06-18.
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