The Alicante Institute of Culture Juan Gil-Albert will host on Friday at 7:00 p.m. the presentation of the book The Lady of Elche, a Singular Destiny, published by the prestigious Casa de Velázquez in Madrid. The event will feature the researchers behind the publication, whose work has recently been translated into Spanish.
In that gathering, the researchers will discuss their study of the Iberian bust, offering a scientific, historical, and anthropological perspective. The project traces how the Lady of Elche acquired local, regional, national, and international significance and reopens debates among European experts, notably in France, that began with the busts discovery.
In addition, The Lady of Elche, a Singular Destiny analyzes the discovery, the surrounding circumstances, the historical debate surrounding the bust, the reception by other artists, the Iberians, and the Valencian identity, as well as the piece’s return to Spain, among many other facets. Regarded as the most famous and exceptional work of Iberian art, the Lady of Elche is a limestone sculpture dating from the 5th to 4th century BCE and was accidentally discovered in 1897 at La Alcudia.
The event will begin at 7:00 p.m. with free admission that is limited to the venue capacity. Also participating will be the director of Studies at the Casa de Velázquez and the director of IAC Gil-Albert.
Researchers
Researchers describe the focus of their investigations on the Levant region of Spain and the south of France. The team includes scholars with long-standing expertise in anthropology and Iberian archaeology, bringing together fieldwork experiences from various excavation projects in Alicante province.