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Photo of the bases installed at the port entrance to support the sculptures. Pedro Quero Art and culture 'Marvel universe' aesthetic sparks outrage in Malaga as 'kitsch' port statues spark heritage rowThe Royal Academy of Fine Arts has launched an attack on the installation of two eight-metre bronze figures of Neptune and Venus, claiming they turn a historic site into an ‘amusement park’ ·
Friday, 9 January 2026, 14:30
An aesthetic and cultural conflict has broken out on the shores of Malaga, as art historians and port authorities clash over the installation of two gargantuan bronze sculptures at the entrance to the city’s historic harbour.
The project, which features the Roman deities Neptune and Venus and will also have two immense lions, has been branded by critics as a "pretentious and grandiloquent pseudo-neoclassicism" that threatens to debase the city’s maritime heritage.
The controversy centres on the work of artist Ginés Serrán. The sculptural ensemble is formidable in scale: the figure of Neptune alone stands eight metres tall, weighs two tonnes, and carries a fishing net cast in bronze and 24-carat gold. Despite the statues being donated by the artist, the installation process - including the placement of massive pedestals already visible at the port -will cost the public roughly €70,000.
In a scathing statement released on Thursday, the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Telmo made clear its "firm opposition" to what it described as "disproportionate" works. The academics argued that the "aesthetic concept" of the statues is profoundly flawed, suggesting the pieces possess "unmistakable kitsch hooks, more typical of the superhero comics of the Marvel universe than a sincere recovery of classicism from a contemporary point of view."
Beyond the stylistic critique, there are fears that the installation will physically and visually obstruct Malaga’s history. For years, residents celebrated the removal of the gates that once restricted the port; now, the Academy warns of a "new, much denser barrier" which "eliminates the existing open space." They claim the statues will hide the 17th-century relief of San Ciriaco and Santa Paula, a site of "historical and cultural transcendence" marking the port's creation under King Philip II.
The Academy has called for greater civic consultation, arguing that such measures should not "suddenly appear on the landscape of the city, altering it, decomposing it without any respect for its history and centuries-old tradition and shattering it with a more than dubious modernity."
Responding to the backlash on Friday, Carlos Rubio, President of the Port Authority, defended the project as a "temporary exhibition" with a maximum duration of ten years. Dismissing claims of obstruction, Mr Rubio insisted that "thorough studies" regarding traffic and visibility had been conducted to ensure a "clear and unobstructed view."
Mr Rubio also took aim at the Academy’s tone, denouncing the "contempt" shown toward Serrán’s "strange curriculum" and international career. "He deserves respect," Mr Rubio noted, adding that the project had already secured the necessary approvals from local, regional, and central government bodies months ago.