“Forse la bellezza del nostro gioco sta nel rovesciarlo”. Itinerari per un differente approccio al monumento storico e all’immagine che un dato tempo dà di sé

Surrounded by four mighty bronze lions, in the Plaza del Espolón of the Spanish city of Logroño, the equestrian monument of Baldomero Espartero dominates. The first stone of a commemorative complex with accentuated iconography dates back to February 27, 1872. Moving forward with a leap in time of no small importance, between April and May 2024, the artist Willem de Haan with a majestic stroke of ingenuity has transformed the colossal and untouchable pedestal into a modest and welcoming little house. “The house (which appears to be for sale) adds a human perspective to the monumental representation […] As for my ‘privatization’ of the monument, I have added a bridge that straddles the surrounding fountain, thus offering the possibility for the inhabitants of Logroño to access a public space that has been untouchable for 130 years of their history”. The markedly intellectual, at times ironic and respectfully merciless intervention of de Haan, pushes us to reflect on what could be the most appropriate approach in the presence of monuments, artefacts and iconographies, which tell of historical periods crossed by divisive and complex forces and memories. On the basis of a further and admirable intervention, that for the external renovation of the Palazzo degli Uffici Finanziari in Bolzano (“No one has the right to obey” - from Hannah Arendt), the contribution proposes to address the most recent studies on iconology and iconography in relation to the flow of History and the feelings of multiple collectivities.