Street art and sculptures in Oviedo: an open-air city

Beyond its Pre-Romanesque heritage, Oviedo has another cultural trademark: its streets work almost like an open-air sculpture museum, with close to a hundred pieces scattered around the centre. Here’s what not to miss.

Woody Allen, the bronze neighbour

One of the city’s most photographed sculptures is the statue of Woody Allen, installed in 2003 after the director visited Oviedo in 2002 to receive the Prince of Asturias Award for the Arts. Allen was so taken with the city that he went on to describe it as one of the most beautiful in the world, and the city council decided to dedicate this life-size sculpture to him.

La Regenta and Mafalda

Two other well-known sculptures in the old town are La Regenta, a tribute to the protagonist of Leopoldo Alas “Clarín”’s novel set in a barely disguised Oviedo under the name “Vetusta”, and Mafalda, the Argentine comic-strip character created by Quino, also present on the streets of the centre.

Culis Monumentalis and Botero

On Calle Pelayo stands “Culis Monumentalibus”, one of the most talked-about works by sculptor Eduardo Úrculo, its title leaving little to the imagination. In Plaza de la Escandalera, Fernando Botero’s “Maternidad” brings the Colombian artist’s signature forms to the city’s streets.

A route that plans itself

You don’t need to plan much to see them: most are scattered around the old town, so a walk from Jovellanos 14 towards the centre will cross paths with several of them almost without trying.