Simon Bolivar, (sculpture).

Simon Bolivar, (sculpture).

Carrara, Marmoleria, sculptor.

Simon Bolivar, (sculpture).

Dedicated July 5, 1948.

Digital Reference:

Sculpture: bronze; Base: black Carrara marble, and white marble.

Sculpture: approx. 10 x 3 x 3 ft.; Base: approx. 14 x 7 x 7 ft.

Marmoleria Carrara (Top front of base, incised lettering:) THE GOVERNMENT/AND THE PEOPLE OF VENEZUELA/TO THE NOBLE CITY/WHICH RENDERS THROUGH ITS NAME/A PERPETUAL HOMAGE/TO THE MEMORY OF THE LIBERATOR/SIMON BOLIVAR/JULY 5TH.1948/(Lower, on plaque, raised lettering:) DEDICATED BY/PRESIDENT ROMULO GALLEGOS/OF VENEZUELA/DEDICATED BY/PRESIDENT HARRY S. TRUMAN/OF THE UNITED STATES/BOLIVAR, MISSOURI/JULY 5, 1948 (On white marble plaque on base:) 19 De April De 1810 20 De Febrero de 1859/Independencia Federacioii/E.E.U.U. de Venezuela signed

Portrait of the famed Venezuelan General Simon Bolivar, depicted standing in a decorative, high-collared military uniform, without a hat. He is wears a cape, which is wrapped over his proper left shoulder and arm and around his waist. His proper left foot steps forward, partially over the plinth. In his proper right hand he holds a sword that is pointed off to the side; in his proper left hand he holds a scroll at waist level. The sculpture is mounted upon a tall, multitiered base of black Carrara marble, with a white marble plaque on the side depicting wheat, flags, and a horse. The monument is surrounded by a square picket fence.

Portrait male -- Bolivar, Simon -- Full length

Occupation -- Military -- General

Dress -- Uniform -- Military Uniform

Ethnic -- Venezuelan

Outdoor Sculpture -- Missouri -- Bolivar

Administered by City of Bolivar, City Hall, Bolivar, Missouri 65613

Located Newhart Park, South Springfield & East College, Bolivar, Missouri

Monument commemorates Simon Bolivar (1783-1830), known as "El Libertor," or "The Liberator," the revolutionary South American general famed for his role in liberating several South American nations from Spanish rule in the 19th century. The monument was a gift of Venezuela to the citizens of Bolivar, Missouri, in recognition of their naming their city after General Bolivar. It was erected through the Simon Bolivar Memorial Foundation, and dedicated on July 5, 1948, the 137th anniversary of the establishment of Venezuelan independence. The monument was dedicated jointly by United States President Harry S. Truman (a native Missourian), and Venezuelan President Romulo Gallegos, during a three-day Pan American Festival in Bolivar. The sculpture was made in Milan, Italy; the base was fabricated in Venezuela.

IAS files contain dedication program; newspaper articles from the Bolivar Free Press, July 1, 1948, and The Bolivar Herald, July 15, 1948, and July 18, 1948, pg. 1.; an article from The Resume (Historical Society of Polk County) (July 1995): pg. 1-2, and a brochure from the Bolivar Chamber of Commerce, entitled "Welcome to Bolivar Missouri."

Save Outdoor Sculpture, Missouri survey, 1995.

The Bolivar Hearld, July 18, 1948, pg. 1.

The information provided about this artwork was compiled as part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture database, designed to provide descriptive and location information on artworks by American artists in public and private collections worldwide.

Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture, Smithsonian American Art Museum, P.O. Box 37012, MRC 970, Washington, D.C. 20013-7012

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