Sculptor Anna Vaughn Hyatt Huntington (-1876–1973) created this larger-than-life bronze equestrian statue depicting Cuban patriot and author José Martí (-1853–1895). Hyatt Huntington also created the Joan of Arc (1411–1431) bronze equestrian sculpture in Manhattan’s Riverside Park (1915). Her last major work, Hyatt Huntington executed this piece at age 82, and presented the statue as a gift to the Cuban government for presentation to the people of New York City. The Cuban government donated the monument’s dark granite pedestal, which was designed by the architectural firm of Clarke & Rapuano. Martí campaigned for the liberation of Cuba from Spain and was imprisoned by Spanish authorities in 1868. Fleeing to New York in 1880, he continued to advocate for Cuban freedom while in exile and organized the Cuban Revolutionary Party in 1892. Martí returned to Cuba in 1895, at the beginning of Cuba’s successful fight for independence. The monument depicts a reeling yet resolute Martí after being fatally wounded while atop his horse during the 1895 battle at Dos Rios.