Alcalá de Henares owns as of today a humorous monument

Alcale de Henari / March 14, 2021 Mayor of Alcala de Henares, Javier Rodriguez Palacios, councilors of the municipality, President of the University of Alcala, José Vicente Saz, widow of Antonio Fraguas Forges, Pilar Garrido Sendoya, relatives of “Forge” and representatives of the Quevedo Institute of the Arts of Humor at the University of Alcala Today, he participated in presenting the memorial to the humorist in the roundabout that bears his name.

Rodríguez Palacios stated that it is “a tribute to Forges by dedicating a public space to his memory. This decision won the unanimous support of the municipal authority, with the help of their relatives.. Today we present this monument that Thousands of alcalaínos and alcalaínos and visitors will see it, and this is a small sample of their genius and good work. In addition, the mayor added, with this honor, we abide by the agreement of all political groups that were represented at that time in the city council: PSOE, Somos Alcalá, Partido Popular, Ciudadanos, España 2000.

Forges died in February 2018. After his loss, the first mayor announced that the city would allocate space for his memory. Antonio Fragues’ new roundabout “Forges” located between Via Complutense and Avenida de la Caballeria Espanola, and the memorial in his memory are a sign of the humorist’s association with Alcala de Henares, which began in the early 1990s with the creation of the graphic humor program.

Forges has been the artistic director of the Quevedo Institute for the Arts of Humor (IQH) of the Alcalá University Public Foundation (FGUA) ​​since its inception. He is the recipient of the prestigious 2014 Quevedos Ibero-American Prize for Graphic Humor and in January 2016 he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Alcalá.

Quevedo Institute for the Arts of Humor

The design has been implemented before Quevedo Institute for the Arts of Humor, which is based on the University of Alcalá public institution and reflects in all its elements the commitment to freedom and democracy That has always distinguished the life and work of Forges.

Among its rich and fruitful production, the collection includes a human rights cartoon and a picture of “Blasilo”, the most representative character, whose hands are a dove of peace flapping its wings, as is the case in many of his short portraits. And he brings us an olive branch, a universal symbol of human fraternity and harmony.