Arroba de los Montes honors painter Pepe Ortega with ceramic murals

The municipality of Arroba de los Montes, in collaboration with the Government of Castilla-La Mancha, has launched a project to honor the painter Pepe Ortega through the installation of three large ceramic murals. This initiative aims to transform the town into an open-air museum dedicated to the artist, who was silenced during the Franco dictatorship despite receiving international recognition.

The first mural, titled ‘Sí a ser y a ser libres’, has been installed on the facade of the Town Hall. The image was provided by the University of Cantabria with authorization from the painter's family.

This tribute is part of a broader program by the regional government to commemorate 50 years of democracy in Spain. The project is also framed within efforts to build collective democratic memory by highlighting individual stories linked to the Castilla-La Mancha region.