La Maternidad, Bronze sculpture in Escandalera Square, Oviedo, Spain
La Maternidad is a bronze sculpture in Escandalera Square in Oviedo showing a mother figure in Botero's volumetric style. The rounded forms and massive presence of the work dominate the public space and invite viewing from different angles.
La Maternidad is dated 1989, though it was not installed in Escandalera Square until 1996. It belongs to Oviedo's urban sculpture programme, which began with commemorative monuments and turned to purely artistic works from the late 20th century. The bronze is by the Colombian sculptor Fernando Botero.
The sculpture is a modern version of the mother figure and her traditional iconography, set in a city whose streets hold more than a hundred sculptures. It stands in Escandalera Square, where it was installed in 1996, seven years after Botero dated the bronze.
The work sits centrally in the square and is easy to reach on foot, with wheelchair accessible routes in the surrounding area. The best time for photos is early morning or late afternoon when light highlights the bronze surface.
The sculpture is one of more than a hundred works that decorate Oviedo's streets, part of a collection begun with commemorative monuments and continued with purely artistic pieces from the late 20th century. Botero's figure was dated 1989 but only installed in 1996.
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