The figure of Adalberto Álvarez will be incorporated into the wax museum in Bayamo

October 1, 2023

Cuban musician Adalberto Álvarez will have his own figure at the Wax Museum in Bayamo.

In statements to the press, Ismary López Comas, director of the institution, the only one of its kind in the country, said that the piece, life-size like others that make up the museum's collection, could be unveiled on October 20, Day of Cuban Culture, during the Fiesta de la Cubanía.

In charge of creating the wax sculpture of the Knight of Son, who died in 2021 from coronavirus, are Rafael Barrios Milán and his father, Rafael Barrios Madrigal.

At the request of the family, the figure of Adalberto Álvarez that they will model will recreate the singer's appearance when he was approximately 60 years old, according to what Barrios Milán told Granma.

"They will complete the work with clothing, footwear, and other objects belonging to the artist, among which should be the güiro (musical instrument) that distinguished him in each of his performances," refers to the note published in the official media.

Among the sculptures exhibited at the Wax Museum in Bayamo, inaugurated in 2017, are pieces dedicated to Carlos Manuel de Céspedes, José Martí, Nicolás Guillén, Ernest Hemingway, Benny Moré, Rita Montaner, Bola de Nieve, Sindo Garay, Carlos Puebla, Polo Montañez, El Indio Naborí, Juan Formell, El Guayabero, Miguel Matamoros, Compay Segundo, Carilda Oliver Labra, Gabriel García Márquez, among others.

On more than one occasion, the museum, which is currently located in a larger space than the one that initially housed it, has been the subject of criticism and mockery for the creations it has included in its permanent collection.

In December 2017, following the avalanche of criticism over the piece dedicated to Sara González, including that of her own widower Diana Balboa who referred to the "horror" they had made and expressed her disagreement "from the beginning," it was decided to remove the work from the institution.

In 2021, when the wax sculpture in honor of Carilda Oliver was unveiled, social networks echoed a common rejection due to its poor resemblance to the poetess, who according to many complaints on that occasion, they did not even respect the color of her eyes.

With the incorporation of the sculpture of composer, singer, and orchestra director Adalberto Álvarez, the Bayamo museum will reach 27 pieces.