''The Hand'' () is a bronze sculpture by the Colombian sculptor

Fernando Botero Fernando Botero Angulo (19 April 1932 – 15 September 2023) was a Colombian figurative artist and sculptor. His signature style, also known as "Boterismo", depicts people and figures in large, exaggerated volume, which can represent political ...

. Since 1994, it has been on public display in

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

, Spain. The 500 kilogram hand is of a plump form, a trademark of the sculptor. The sculpture was one of twenty-one exhibits in a 1994 exhibition of Botero's work. After a public vote, '' Woman with Mirror'' was the sculpture that received the most votes and was gifted to the city by the artist. Madrid treasurer Fernando López Amor urged corporations to purchase other works and put them on public display. ''The Hand'' was bought by

Telefónica , S.A. () is a Spanish multinational telecommunications company with registered office and headquarters located in two different places, both in Madrid, Spain. It is one of the largest telephone operators and mobile network providers in the ...

in October 1994, for 70 million

Spanish peseta The peseta (, ) was the currency of Spain between 1868 and 2002. Along with the French franc, it was also a de facto currency, ''de facto'' currency used in Andorra (which had no national currency with legal tender). Etymology The name of the ...

s (around €420,000). Its

matte Matte may refer to: Art * paint with a non-glossy finish. See diffuse reflection. * a framing element surrounding a painting or watercolor within the outer frame Film * Matte (filmmaking), filmmaking and video production technology * Matte pai ...

finish made it more suitable than other exhibits for permanent outside display. A third Botero piece, ''Raptio of Europa'', was installed at

Madrid–Barajas Airport Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport is the main international airport serving Madrid, the capital city of Spain. At in area, it is the second-largest airport in Europe by physical size behind Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport. In 2019, 61.8 ...

. In April 1995, Telefónica loaned the sculpture to the city and it was installed on

Paseo de la Castellana Paseo de la Castellana, commonly known as La Castellana, is a major thoroughfare in Madrid, Spain. Cutting across the city from south to north, it has been described as the "true structuring axis" of the city. History and description The street ...

. ''

El País (; ) is a Spanish-language daily newspaper in Spain. is based in the capital city of Madrid and it is owned by the Spanish media conglomerate PRISA. It is the second-most circulated daily newspaper in Spain . is the most read newspaper in ...

'' reported that its position seemed to point towards the Equestrian statue of Francisco Franco which then stood in the Plaza de San Juan de la Cruz.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hand Bronze sculptures in Spain Outdoor sculptures in Madrid 1994 sculptures