Peine del Viento is one of the best-known works by sculptor Eduardo Chillida and also one of the most famous in the city. It is a sculptural ensemble built on an architectural work by Luis Peña Ganchegui, making up as a whole a very distinguishing scenery of Donosti.
History of Peine del Viento
The work was made in the year 1976, a time in which there was no inauguration for it: it was not until 2007 that the local government decided to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the sculptural ensemble and pay homage to Chillida and his family.
It is placed at one of the ends of Ondarreta beach, right on the slope of Igueldo mount, which makes it really easy to spot from any point of La Concha bay. The sculptural group consists of three curved steel sculptures. They are embedded in the rocks and in direct contact with the sea in an area where both seawaves and wind hit with intensity. The shape of a twisted comb (peine) that many see in the sculptures, along with the characteristic wind (viento) in the area gave origin to the name of this place.
In order to put the heavy sculptures – they were about 10 tonnes each- where they are now, Eduardo asked the American Embassy to collaborate by lending their helicopters. Because of the refusal of the Embassy, Chillida turned to José Elósegui, who built a railed offshore bridge that made it possible to reach the location of the work.
The zone beside Chillida’s work was enhanced with an underground tunnel through which water comes in when the tide is rough, so it expels streams of water towards the sky through holes set up for that purpose. This turns Chillida’s work into not only a visual attraction for adults but also an amusing activity for children.
