Remembering Edgar Zúñiga (1950–2025)

Edgar Zúñiga | A Costa Rican Sculptural Master 

The recent announcement of Edgar Zúñiga’s death has come as a shock to many. Although we never had the pleasure of meeting him in person, we enjoyed conversations with him virtually and hearing him speak so enthusiastically and elegantly about his work. In our conversations with him, he was consistently thoughtful, generous, and supportive. He was a true gentleman: generous with his time, thoughtful in his reflections, and unfailingly kind. His encouragement and openness left an impression on us, as it has on many.

Zúñiga’s sculptures are found throughout Costa Rica, in parks, public squares, museums, and civic buildings. His work is immediately recognisable for the way it honours everyday life, community, and labour, often through bronze figures placed directly in the public realm.

Born in Alajuela in 1950, Edgar Zúñiga grew up in a family of makers. His father, Manuel Zúñiga, produced religious sculpture for churches. His mother, Consuelo Jiménez, made nativity scenes. Zúñiga began studying at the University of Costa Rica’s School of Fine Arts in 1968, but soon left the programme to pursue sculpture independently, working between his own studio and the family’s workshop.

His early commissions were religious works for churches, but over time his practice expanded beyond liturgical commissions. His materials ranged from bronze and marble to wood, concrete, iron, and, occasionally, ephemeral materials like ice.

Zúñiga exhibited in Japan, France, Germany, and the United States. Much of his output, however, remained in Costa Rica, embedded in civic architecture and public space.

Sculpture in Public Space

Zúñiga’s works are best known for existing within the fabric of the street and plaza. One of Zúñiga’s most recognised works in San José is Nuevo Paradigma, located in Parque Nacional. Three muscular figures appear to emerge from the ground, first crawling, then rising to a crouch, one arm raised as if in warning, defiance, or protection. Unlike traditional monuments, this sculpture doesn’t sit elevated on a plinth and it's directly set into the earth, in line with the viewer, suggesting movement, effort, and something unfinished. It has become a landmark in the city because it speaks to a more open interpretation about progress, resistance, or perhaps simply the effort of standing up.

Edgar Zúñiga, Nuevo Paradigma, San José

Another great example of his public sculpture is his bronze figure The Street Sweeper, located in San José’s Central Park, which quietly honours municipal workers. Another is a monument to firefighters that stands outside the San José fire station. His works also line the boulevard leading into Alajuela, and several are on permanent display in the gardens of the Costa Rican Art Museum in La Sabana.

These sculptures are scaled to the human body, often informal in stance, and embedded in everyday surroundings.

Studio Practice and Legacy

Zúñiga worked from the same site in Alajuela where his parents had their workshop. It functioned as a production space and an informal showroom for his works in marble, bronze, and wood, ranging from small-scale pieces to large commissions designed for civic spaces.

In addition to sculpture, Zúñiga wrote poetry and composed music, though he remained primarily focused on the production of physical works in three dimensions.

His contribution to the public landscape of Costa Rica is hugely significant. His works are instead reflections of daily life, presenting figures who occupy public space much like the people who walk past them.

Selection of sculptures by Edgar Zúñiga

A Loss Noted

As news of his passing continues to spread, there is a shared recognition of Zúñiga’s role in shaping Costa Rica’s public visual culture.

His loss is already felt widely, in the communities where his sculptures stand, and among those who understood his commitment to making public space a site for reflection and encounter. His works are part of the landscape, part of the everyday. They remain steady, present, and visible; they are markers of a way of thinking about how sculpture lives in the world. While Zúñiga himself is no longer with us, his work continues to speak quietly but unmistakably from streets, plazas, and parks across Costa Rica. He will be greatly missed.

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