El Greco

"In 1896 Santiago Rusiñol promoted a fund-raising campaign with the aim of erecting the first public monument in Sitges dedicated to the famous artist, Domenico Theotocopuli, El Greco. In December of the same year, the Town Hall agreed to ask the War Ministry to give them the bronze for casting the statue, but the request was rejected as the bronze was reserved for making the cannon for the Cuban War for Independence.
Finally, the sculpture was made of stone by the Barcelona-born sculptor, Josep Reynés (1850-1926) it was funded by the townspeople and uncovered on 25 August 1898. It was the only festive act of that year’s Fiesta Mayor (Festival of the Patron Saint), marked by the serious events of the War.
This initiative reflects how important El Greco was for artists like Santiago Rusiñol, Ignacio Zuloaga and Ramon Pichot, among other intellectual figures of the period. They saw the Greek painter as a free spirit and the personification of the modern artist."