Attending ceremonies to unveil statues is no novelty for royalty. However, King Felipe VI of Spain has just unveiled a bust of someone very familiar. The well-known Spanish sculptor, Víctor Ochoa, has created a bust of the king himself to recognize the work of Felipe VI as Head of State.
The bust is located at the town hall in Madrid, where the city council of Madrid carries out its daily duties. King Felipe VI attended a ceremony on June 13 2022 to unveil the new bust of himself. In addition, the artist Víctor Ochoa attended the ceremony.
The new bust is made of steel and bronze and measures 90 centimetres high. Several prominent local politicians in Madrid also attended, including the councillors and the president of the Community of Madrid.
The President of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, presented the bust to King Felipe . She also gave a speech during the ceremony in which she paid tribute to the work done by Spain’s royals during the Covid-19 pandemic. She added: “King Felipe has always been the guarantee of historical continuity, democratic plurality, respect for the law and responsible liberty. His Majesty had led by example during our lockdowns and especially in our Hispanic-American world, people have looked to the King with admiration”.
This is not the first royal bust made by Víctor Ochoa. Ochoa has previously also made a bust of King Juan Carlos, in addition to other prominent Spanish persons such as the artist Goya and Nobel Prize winner Santiago Ramon y Cajal. Ochoa has himself an extensive artistic education from prominent schools and since the 1980s he has been a leading Spanish sculpture artist.
