This statue of King Carlos III, who ordered the founding of El Pueblo de la Reina de Los Angeles, which grew into the city of Los Angeles, was a gift to the American people from Spain in honor of the 200th anniversary of the American Revolution.
The statue stood for nearly 20 years in MacArthur park west of downtown, but was moved to this spot on the "new" plaza across from the El Pueblo de la Reina de Los Angeles Church in 1987.
Source: Los Angeles Times (
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"King Carlos III's Statue Is Relocated
September 25, 1987
The statue of King Carlos III, the 18-Century Spanish monarch who has touched off controversy in Los Angeles, was taken off its MacArthur Park pedestal Thursday and moved to El Pueblo de Los Angeles State Historic Park.
Despite objections raised Wednesday by City Council members Richard Alatorre and Gloria Molina, the king's statue will be re-dedicated at the site, better known as the Olvera Street plaza, Sept. 30 in conjunction with Spanish King Juan Carlos I's visit to Los Angeles, a spokesman for Mayor Tom Bradley said.
Saying that the statue would be perceived by many Latinos as a symbol of colonial Spanish tyranny, Alatorre and Molina persuaded the council Wednesday to delete $10,000 in funding for the statue relocation. The Spanish government had asked that the statue be moved to historic Olvera Street, noting that King Carlos III had ordered the establishment of the original Los Angeles settlement at that location. King Juan Carlos I had given the statue to the city in 1976 in honor of the U.S. Bicentennial.
After meeting with Molina and an Alatorre aide on Thursday, Pedro Temboury, Spain's consul general in Los Angeles, said he was confident that King Juan Carlos I would receive a warm, polite reception by city officials."
A bilingual plaque on the base of the statue at its present day location on Olvera Street, after re-dedication by the Spanish King and Queen in 1987, reads (in English) as follows:
"KING CARLOS III
1759-1788
King Carlos III of Spain ordered the founding of El Pueblo de la Reina de Los Angeles in 1781. This statue was presented in 1976, in honor of the 200th anniversary of American independence. It was dedicated on the Plaza by the King and Queen of Spain, Don Juan Carlos I and Dona Sofia on September 30, 1987."
From the El Pueblo de los Angeles website: (
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"Carlos III of Spain
Presented in 1976 in commemoration of the 200th anniversary of American independence, the 10'H, 2.5 ton statue of King Carlos III of Spain stands on the east side of the Plaza. The statue depicts the king who ordered the founding of El Pueblo de la Reina de Los Angeles in 1781 as a 45-year-old commander-in-chief, holding a baton and wearing a suit of armor with an embellished sash. King and Queen of Spain, Don Juan Carlos I and Dona Sofia dedicated the statue in the Plaza on September 30, 1987."
More evidence that this is a bicentennial gift can be found in the Smithsonian's SIRIS Database: (
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"Artist:
Coullaut-Valera, F., 1912- , sculptor.
Godina Hermanos, founder.
Title:
Carlos III, (sculpture).
Dates:
1976. Dedicated June 21, 1977.
Medium:
Sculpture: bronze with patina; Base: concrete.
Dimensions:
Sculpture: approx. 10 ft. x 3 ft. 8 in. x 4 ft.; Base: approx. 3 ft. 6 in. x 4 ft. 4 in. x 3 ft. 10 in. (2 1/2 tons).
Inscription:
(Proper right of sculpture:) ESCULTOR/ESPANA-1976 F. COULLAUT-VALERA (Proper left of sculpture:) GODINA HERMANOS/FUNDIO ORES MADRID signed Founder's mark appears.
Description:
A full-length standing figure of Carlos III, dressed in armor. He holds a baton in his proper right hand. In his proper left hand he holds the handle of a sword that hangs from his proper left side.
Subject:
Portrait male -- Carlos III -- Full length
Ethnic -- Spanish
Occupation -- Other -- Aristocrat
Object -- Weapon -- Sword
Dress -- Accessory -- Protective Gear
Object Type:
Outdoor Sculpture -- California -- Los Angeles
Sculpture
Owner:
Administered by City of Los Angeles, Cultural Affairs Department, Public Art Division, 433 South Spring Street, 10th floor, Los Angeles, California 90013
Located MacArthur Park, later moved to El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historic Monument, Los Angeles, California
Remarks:
The statue of Carlos III (who granted the charter creating the pueblo of Los Angeles in 1781) is a Bicentennial gift from the Spanish people. The sculpture cost $40,000. The Parks and Recreation Department provided $9,000 for the pedestal and landscaping. IAS files contain a summary of the sculpture by J. M. "Kim" Morera dated Oct. 18, 1976. IAS files also include two articles from the Los Angeles Times dated Sept. 24, 1987, and Oct. 3, 1987, and transcriptions of bilingual text on base plaque.
Condition:
Surveyed 1994 December. Well maintained."
Finally, from tje Public Art in LA website: (
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"Carlos III
Background Information
1976, Federico Coullaut-Valera. 10'H. Olvera Street plaza.
Carlos III (1716 - 1788), the King of Spain from 1759 to 1788, was the most dynamic of the Bourbon monarchs. A product of the Enlightenment, he left his imprint on the architecture and planning of modern Madrid by the construction during his reign of the Paseo del Prado, the Museo del Prado and the Real Jardin Botaneca.
After losing Florida at the conclusion of the Seven Years War, he regained control by giving valuable financial, military and diplomatic assistance to the American colonies in their struggle for independence from Britain.
As part of his policy to extend Spanish control in the Americas, he promulgated the Reglamento in 1772, which laid the foundation for colonizing California by increasing the military presence in the area. Later he encouraged the founding of Los Angeles as a pueblo on the frontier of the empire to resist the territorial claims of Imperial Russia.
In recognizing Carlos III's connections to the city and the nation, the Spanish government offered this 2-1/2 ton monument on January 23, 1976 to Los Angeles to commemorate our nation's Bicentennial.
After being approved by the Board of Public Works and the Municipal Arts Commission, the gift was accepted by the City Council, which authorized $9,000 for constructing the pedestal. The statue was originally installed in 1977 in MacArthur Park, near the path that the Portola expedition took to Monterey in 1769 when it established a Spanish claim to Alta California.
In preparation for the 1987 visit to Los Angeles by Juan Carlos, the present Spanish monarch, Mayor Tom Bradley requested $10,000 from the City Council to move the statue to the plaza. Initially, the Council voted against spending the money because Councilmembers Gloria Molina and Richard Alatorre incorrectly claimed that the statue depicted King Ferdinand, who they also incorrectly believed was king of Spain when Cortez conquered Mexico (Ferdinand died three years before Cortez left Cuba on his conquest).
When informed of the statue's true identity, Alatorre said honoring any Spanish monarch who reigned prior to Mexico's independence celebrates tyranny. The City Council nevertheless approved the funds to move the monument to its present location on the east side of the Plaza, where it was re-dedicated by the king on September 30, 1987.
This depiction of Carlos III is similar to his official portrait executed in 1761 by Anton Raphael Mengs (1728-1779). Carlos III is portrayed here as a 45-year-old commander-in-chief, holding a baton to symbolize his authority and wearing a suit of armor with a sash, richly embellished with the insignia of various orders."