The Catalan sculptor Julio Antonio is considered an innovator of Spanish sculpture. He did not break with the realistic tradition, but on the other hand, he did not get stuck in the anecdotal nature of the statue of his predecessors either. Antonio made a name for himself with his series of portrait busts of different human types that he made after travelling through Spain to find models. An essential part of the artist’s oeuvre can be found in the Museum of Modern Art in Tarragona. This bust reproduces a monument to the 18th-century Spanish painter Francisco Goya, erected in 1920 in his presumed hometown of Fuendetodos. The memorial was financed by the Spanish painter Ignacio Zuloaga. The large monument consists of a bronze bust on a base made from blue jasper. The text on the bottom says: “For Goya, For the spirit of the immortal artist, that the glory spread around the world, live in the town that gave birth.” The final maquette of the ‘Monument to Francisco de Goya’ -made around 1916-1917- can be seen in the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte-Reina Sofia in Madrid (inv° AD02514, patinated plaster, 95.5 x 63 x 50 cm). Three other copies of the monument are preserved in the Museu d’Art Modern of Tarragona (inv° 3295, 3281 and 3020). Julio Antonio plays in this bust with a contrast of textures. Goya’s smooth polished face catches the light in a different way than the rougher chest. This contributes to greater expressiveness. The artist signed the bust on the back.