A riderless horse for Madrid’s Plaza del Carmen

A bronze horse stands at the edge of a tall concrete pedestal in Madrid’s Plaza del Carmen. With no rider, saddle or reins, Gonzalo Lebrija’s El rumor de la discordia shifts attention from the authority of a human figure to the animal’s apparent suspension above the square.

Presented on 14 October 2026 outside Thompson Madrid, the sculpture has been temporarily loaned to Madrid City Council as part of the plaza’s renewal. The installation reaches 6.30 metres in height. The accompanying press statement dates its conception to 2017, distinguishing the original idea from this presentation in Madrid.

A monument displaced

Lebrija moves the horse away from the centre of its base. The animal retains its bridle, but the person who might direct it is absent. This departure from the conventional equestrian monument gives the horse an autonomous presence, caught in a moment of balance and uncertainty.

Seen from the square, the broad, blank face of the pedestal makes the displacement especially clear. The horse projects beyond its edge, while the surrounding windows, pedestrians and paving establish the work’s scale. Walking around the base changes the overlap between the animal, the concrete and the buildings behind it.

Holding an instant

The work extends Lebrija’s investigation of time and fleeting events across photography, video and sculpture. The press statement places it alongside projects including Condición Suspendida and Breve historia del tiempo, which also explore equilibrium and arrested movement.

Here, the tension comes from a still figure that appears to occupy an unresolved position. The dense concrete base promises stability; the horse’s placement makes that stability look incomplete. Ordinary activity continues at ground level, bringing the sculpture’s held moment into contact with the changing life of the plaza.

Project Credits

Artwork: El rumor de la discordia
Artist: Gonzalo Lebrija / @gonzalolebrija
Location: Plaza del Carmen, Madrid, Spain
Presentation: 14 October 2026
Materials: Bronze sculpture on a concrete pedestal
Overall height: 6.30 m
Gallery: Travesía Cuatro / @travesiacuatro
Photography: Oak Taylor Smith