Curro's statue ripped from Sevilla bench overnight; found in fountain, city promises restoration
One month after being placed as part of a half-million-euro reurbanization, the beloved Expo 92 mascot was torn out and taken; later spotted in a Cartuja fountain and now awaits repair.
A brief tribute to Expo 92's mascot
The statue, depicting Curro sitting on a stone bench, was installed on 11 June as the finishing touch of a wider redevelopment project around the Barqueta bridge. The works covered 5,000 square metres of public space and cost 500,000 euros, also bringing back ornamental fountains from the Expo 92 era and restoring the mural "Verbo América" by Chilean sculptor Roberto Matta. The city government had described the piece as "a nod to historical and sentimental memory", aiming to revive an area long marked by neglect.
Overnight vandalism
Sometime between midnight Saturday and dawn on Sunday, the statue was torn from its mounting. By early morning the bench was empty, with only damage to the base confirming it had been ripped out. No one has claimed responsibility and police are investigating the incident.
Retrieval from a fountain
During Sunday afternoon, a group of passers-by noticed the missing statue lying inside one of the non-functioning fountains in the Cartuja area, roughly a few dozen metres from its original spot. They called the local police number 092 to report the location. Municipal workers arrived shortly afterwards and moved the damaged piece to city-run facilities, where it will undergo restoration before eventually returning to its bench.
- Statue installed at Puerta de la Barqueta following 5,000 sq m reurbanization (cost 500,000 euros).
- Statue torn out and removed overnight between Saturday and Sunday.
- Statue found in a Cartuja fountain by passers-by, who called 092.
- Municipal workers retrieve the statue and take it to city facilities for restoration.
Condemnation and complaint
Mayor José Luis Sanz promptly denounced the vandalism on social media, labelling it "injustificable" and asserting that such acts "do not have any place in a city that is a model of coexistence." The city has filed a formal complaint with the police to track down those responsible.
We are once again suffering a new and intolerable act of vandalism.
A mock obituary and collective memory
As the search was underway, an anonymous citizen left a printed sheet on the empty bench, styled like a death notice. It featured a colour photo of the undamaged statue and the text: "Monument to Curro. Born 11 June. Died in Seville on 12 July 2026 due to incivility." The note went on to lament the loss of other Expo 92 landmarks that have vanished from the Cartuja island over the years, naming the replicas of the Ariane 4 rocket and Hispasat satellite, the monorail, the cable car, the Palenque, the Guadalquivir Gardens, the American Garden, and the Rocío Jurado Auditorium.
What happens next
City technicians will assess the statue's condition and carry out repairs. The redevelopment is still scheduled for completion, including the reactivation of the fountains. Police have taken statements and are reviewing camera footage to identify the vandals, while Sevillians wait for Curro to sit again by the Barqueta bridge.
