Central Park In Bronze

Location: 59th Street and Avenue of the Americas (Sixth Avenue)

Artist/Designer: Anna Vaughn Hyatt Huntington, sculptor; Clarke and Rapuana, pedestal architects           

Materials: Bronze, dark Barre ganite

Installation: 1965

Funding: Anna Vaughn Hyatt Huntington

 

A patriot and hero in the Cuban revolution, Jose Julian Marti (1853-1895) was a Cuban journalist exiled for his views. He used journalism and propaganda to lead the way toward Cuba’s independence from Spain. As president of the Cuban Revolutionary Party, Marti created plans to invade Cuba while he was living in New York City. In May 1895, Marti became a martyr when he was killed in a military skirmish in Cuba, just one month after the invasion began.

 

This statue of Jose Marti was the last work of Anna Hyatt Huntington; she was 81 years old when she created it. Huntington was considered one of the United States’ foremost women sculptors and was well know for her animal and equestrian statues. So strongly did she believe in Cuban independence that she created the statue of Marti for free. Although cast in 1959, the dedication of the statue was delayed until 1965 because of fear of violence between pro- and anti-Castro supporters.