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Memorial to Woody Allen

Memorial to Woody Allen is a life-size bronze sculpture of the American actor and director Woody Allen, located in Oviedo, Spain. Designed by Vicente Santarúa, it was installed in 2003 by mayor Gabino de Lorenzo. The statue reflects Allen’s connection with the city after his 2002 visit to receive a Prince of Asturias Award. In front of the sculpture is a plaque quoting Allen’s description of Oviedo as a delightful, exotic, beautiful, clean, pleasant, and pedestrian-friendly city, like a fairy tale. Oviedo is known for its many statues and outdoor sculptures, with more than one hundred across the city.

Woody Allen Memorial sculpture of a man in spectacles, jacket, and loose trousers standing with hands in pockets.
The Woody Allen Memorial stands on a paved square, with outdoor café seating visible behind it.
July 2005 © · CC BY-SA 2.5 es
Woody Allen memorial statue of a bespectacled man on a pedestrian walkway with city buildings behind it.
The Woody Allen memorial statue stands on a pedestrian walkway in Oviedo, with urban buildings in the background.
May 2016 © · CC BY-SA 4.0
Woody Allen memorial statue in Oviedo, showing a bronze man wearing glasses, an open-collared shirt, and a jacket.
The Woody Allen memorial statue stands on a city street in Oviedo, with buildings and greenery in the background.
November 2014 © Jose Luis Cernadas Iglesias · CC BY 2.0
Woody Allen Memorial sculpture torso in dark metal, shown outdoors with storefronts blurred behind it.
The Woody Allen Memorial sculpture is shown in a close-up view outdoors.
© · CC BY-SA 2.5 es
Rear view of the Woody Allen memorial bronze statue on a stone-paved sidewalk.
The Woody Allen memorial statue seen from behind on a sidewalk in Oviedo.
July 2011 © · CC BY 2.0

Identification

TitleMemorial to Woody Allen
Alternative titleMonumento a Woody Allen
TypeLife-size bronze sculpture
SubjectWoody Allen

Creator

DesignerVicente Santarúa

Historical context

Installation year2003
Installed byMayor Gabino de Lorenzo
Associated visitWoody Allen traveled to Oviedo in 2002 to accept a Prince of Asturias Award
Associated filmVicky Cristina Barcelona (2008), partly set in Oviedo
City contextOviedo is known for its statues and has more than one hundred outdoor sculptures

Materials

MaterialBronze

Physical characteristics

SizeLife-size
Depicted personWoody Allen, American actor, writer, and director

Location and ownership

Public displayOn public display
LocationOviedo, Spain

Appearance

Plaque inscription languageSpanish
Plaque inscription“Oviedo is a delicious city, exotic, beautiful, clean, pleasant, calm and pedestrianised, like it does not belong to this world, as if it didn't exist... Oviedo is like a fairy tale”
Depicted pose / appearanceThe statue appears to show Allen walking with a sad face and his mind elsewhere
RealismEl País described the statue as so realistic that, from the side, it looks as if Allen would answer if spoken to

History and restoration

VandalismThe statue was vandalized twice in its first year on public display
DamageThe glasses were broken in December 2003
Municipal responseIn 2008, the city council said that because of repeated vandalism, the glasses would only be repaired once a year
Allen's comment on vandalismWhen he returned to the city in December 2005, Allen joked that he would speak to the mayor about the vandalism
Removal requestIn January 2018, the Feminist Organization of Asturias asked for the statue to be removed because of sexual abuse allegations against Woody Allen
Allen's 2020 commentIn his autobiography Apropos of Nothing, Allen said that a “mob driven by hate” might knock down the statue

Significance

Critical reactionUSA Today critic Barbara Vandenburgh described Allen's 2020 comment as “whiny self-pity”