Descripción

Sebastián (born Enrique Carbajal González on November 16, 1947) is a Mexican sculptor best known for his monumental works of steel and/or concrete in both Mexico and abroad. These include a number of “gate” sculptures such as the Gran Puerta a México in Matamoros, Tamaulipas but his most famous sculpture is the “Caballito” located in downtown Mexico City. His works are found in various cities outside Mexico, such as Japan where two are now used as city symbols.

ebastián is best known for his monumental sculptures in steel and/or concrete in urban settings, of which he has done over 200 in various parts of the world.^[10][12] These works are mostly based on smaller earlier works such as Leonardo 4, Durero 4 and Brancusi 4.^[10] In Mexico, his best known monumental sculpture is officially called “Cabeza de caballo” (horse’s head) but is generally referred to as the “Caballito” (little horse), located in downtown Mexico City.^[1][9] Other works appear in Nuevo León, Tabasco, Morelos, Guerrero, Chiapas, Michoacán and other states.^[9] These include “gate” structures such as the Puerta de Torreón, La Puerta del Sol, La Puerta a Chihuahua and the Gran Puerta de México in Matamoros, Tamaulipas.^[1][13] Other monumental sculptures include the El Torreón al Porvenir for Torreón 100th anniversary and the Arcos del Milenio in Guadalajara for the nation’s 200th anniversary of its independence.^[3][7] His 2007 work with the Ruta Escultórica del Acero y el Cemento (Sculpture in Steel and Cement Route) in the State of Mexico was somewhat controversial in that he stated he would not receive any money for his work but charged the state over seventeen million pesos for materials and workmen’s labor.^[6]

Outside Mexico, his monumental sculptures can be found in cities such as Kingston, Buenos Aires, Havana, Montevideo, Río de Janeiro Albuquerque, Denver, San Antonio, New York, Bern, Hakone, Nagoya and Osaka .^[11] These include “El Quijote” in Alcalá de Henares, Spain, the Phoenix Arch for the city of Sakai, Japan, used as its symbol, a similar piece called “Tsuru” for the city of Kadoma, Japan and a sculpture for the Kadona Sports Center, all done in the 1990s.