The open-air sculptures of Aurelio Teno
In Villaharta you can discover two sculptures by this great Cordoban sculptor: The King of Falconry and the Sculpture of San Rafael. Through them, the municipality becomes an open-air gallery that honors the memory and unmistakable style of a contemporary art genius.
Sculptures by Aurelio Teno in Villaharta
The King of Falconry
The imposing sculpture that remains impassive to the passage of time, guarding the tomb of the great Cordoban sculptor Aurelio Teno since 2013, as was his wish.
It is located in the unique Villaharta Cemetery, endowing the graveyard with unparalleled solemnity and artistic value.
View in the Cemetery
Sculpture of San Rafael
The Villaharta City Council wanted to honor its Patron Saint, San Rafael, with a Triumph that has nothing to do with other existing images of the Archangel.
The sculptor Aurelio Teno made a meticulous study of the Book of Tobit in the Holy Scriptures and managed to capture the traveling character of the figure, his extreme poverty, surrounding him with symbolism to express what his story tells. In his right hand, a staff with the eye of God; in his left, the fish that healed and worked, among other miracles, the blindness of Tobit’s father.
The monument is located in the Elías Cervelló Park, at the entrance of the village, very close to the Cañada Real Soriana and the Camino de Santiago. The park is named after the discoverer of the Sour Waters of Villaharta, who made them known throughout Spain and abroad.
View in Elías Cervelló ParkWho was Aurelio Teno?
Aurelio Teno (September 7, 1927 – February 1, 2013), was a Spanish sculptor and painter. He stood out for his interpretations of Don Quixote, such as the one that imagines him riding the steed Clavileño, as the first cosmonaut in history. This sculpture, with which he won an international competition in 1976 against Salvador Dalí and José de Creeft, is currently installed at the Kennedy Center in Washington.
From that moment on, his international artistic projection began. In 1980, he inaugurated the second monument to Don Quixote in Buenos Aires. Between 1984 and 1997, he traveled through America, with stays in Montevideo, Miami, Washington, Caracas, and Buenos Aires, among other places, giving seminars, lectures, and workshops in universities and fine arts schools, while also holding multiple exhibitions.
Aurelio Teno established his residence in Villaharta in the early nineties. Pedrique, the old monastery, was restored by him, and there he installed an exhibition of his work and his studio (currently closed), where he never stopped creating until the last days of his life. It is a fruitful period for his creations, especially the religious and mystical ones, related to Christs, monks, and hermits. His last works were dedicated to bullfighting, another common theme in his production.
He passed away in 2013 in Córdoba, leaving an important artistic legacy in sculpture, painting, and silversmithing.
Learn more on the official website of Aurelio TenoThe book Coplas al aire de Córdoba written by Manuel Medina González makes the following comment about Aurelio Teno:
“A special case is that of Aurelio Teno, a silversmith by initial trade, draftsman, apprentice sculptor, painter by the effusion of his temperament, and a man of expansive thought and will, who, not finding in Córdoba the necessary space for his desire for progress, went to Madrid to secure a place among modern artists.
His task has been a difficult one, but he finally won the game. He gained the applause of the public, the most demanding critics with his abstract paintings, his bold ventures into ‘pop-art’, his sculpto-paintings, and, above all, the successful execution of silversmithing pieces based on informalist designs with applications of precious metals, rare stones, and tree roots. Teno won international awards for some of his works, and recently, he was awarded the commission of a monumental statue in the United States.”
Keep discovering Villaharta
From our famous sour water springs to the striking sculptures of Aurelio Teno or the hiking trails in the heart of the Cordoban Sierra Morena.
WHAT TO SEE IN VILLAHARTA