3 -- Carlos III

1976
Federico Coullaut-Valera
10'H

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History behind the Piece

During the American Revolution, Carlos III (1716-88), the king of Spain from 1759 to 1788, gave valuable financial and diplomatic assistance to the colonies in their struggle for independence from Britain. And as part of his policy to extend Spanish control in the Americas, he authorized the basic ordinances which laid the foundation for colonizing California. Later he encouraged the founding of Los Angeles in 1781 as a pueblo on the frontier of the empire.

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The Piece

In recognizing connections Carlos III had to both the city and the nation, the Spanish government donated this 2-1/2 ton monument by Federico Coullaut-Valera to Los Angeles to commemorate our nation's Bicentennial. The statue was originally installed in 1977 in MacArthur Park, near the route which the Portola expeditions took to Monterey in 1769 while establishing a Spanish claim to Alta California. When Juan Carlos, the present Spanish monarch, visited Los Angeles in 1987, the statue was moved to its present location on the east side of the Plaza and rededicated by the king, thereby recalling Carlos III's role in founding the city.

This depiction of Carlos II 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.

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The Artist

Federico Coullaut-Valera (1912- ) was born in Madrid. Taught by his father Lorenzo Coullaut- Valera, a noted Spanish sculptor, Federico has executed public monuments to Cervantes and Felipe II in Madrid and has had other statues installed in Germany, Mexico and the Dominican Republic. He has been recognized by numerous awards from Spanish as well as international organizations.