La Mujer y su Sombra

La Mujer y su Sombra stands as a vertical figure of corten steel on a seafront paseo in Spain. César Manrique built it from steel plates whose welded edges and visible joins catch the light. The figure measures 2.34 metres tall and 1.42 metres wide. Corten is a steel that forms an orange-brown patina as it oxidizes, a skin that shields the metal beneath.

The city bought the sculpture in the nineties and set it on the paseo in 1993. Salt in the sea air has worked on the steel ever since, leaving corrosion and paint stains across the plates. In 2019 the figure travelled to a specialist workshop for a full restoration. Technicians carried out granallaje, a high-speed abrasive cleaning, and replaced the most corroded plates. They repaired the smaller damage, unified old surfaces with new and let the corten oxidize under control. Protective treatments followed, and the figure returned to its plinth. Craftspeople later repaired the pedestal itself and reinstalled the sculpture once the base held firm.

The rusted surface is the sculpture's voice, a deliberate skin that links the metal figure to wind, salt and light. Look for the joins where new steel meets old plates: those seams hold the story of exposure, care and coastal weather.