Museum of Fine Arts in Oviedo

posted in: Asturias, Europe, Home, Spain | 1

The Museum of Fine Arts in Oviedo opened in 1980. Its huge collection of c.10,000 pieces is spread over four buildings next to the Cathedral, in the old town. Old buildings have been restored to house the collections and it is a fascinating museum to visit.

Museum of Fine Arts in Oviedo
Facades of the Museum of Fine Arts

The House of Solis-Carbajal

We entered the Museum through what is called the extension on the Cathedral Square, the House of Solis-Carbajal. This houses the contemporary collections.

Inside the contemporary collections building there are white walls and sharp, clean lines, and the building itself is a ‘work of art’. One picture in particular caught my attention – a rather bizarre panel – but one should really linger, and make more than one visit. There is always too much to see in an art gallery.

Soledad Cordoba; 'Without title', 2005
Soledad Cordoba; ‘Without title’, 2005

The House of Oviedo-Portal

From the contemporary collections one walks through to the Oviedo-Portal house which displays 19C art.

The Museum of Fine Arts in Oviedo

There is a fine collection of Asturian painters and I particularly enjoyed these two ladies:

'Retrato de Luz Ojeda' by Jose Ramon Zaragoza, 1912, in the Museum of Fine Arts in Oviedo
‘Retrato de Luz Ojeda’ by Jose Ramon Zaragoza, 1912
Amparo Ruiz Urguelles-Meres, by Jose Uria, 1890
Amparo Ruiz Urguelles-Meres, by Jose Uria, 1890

Historical views of Oviedo

I always find it fascinating to look at historic images of a town, or area, and there are some marvellous views in the Museum of Fine Arts.

Vista de Oviedo, 1910, Manual Arboleya
Vista de Oviedo, 1910, Manual Arboleya
Plaza de la Balesquida in Oviedo, 1885-90, by Eduardo Casielles, in the Museum of Fine Arts in Oviedo
Plaza de la Balesquida in Oviedo, 1885-90, by Eduardo Casielles
The River Nalon by Ramon Ezquerra, 1869
The River Nalon by Ramon Ezquerra, 1869

The Palacio de Velarde

The Palacio de Velarde was built for Pedro Velarde Cienfugos in 1765-70 and holds the oldest collections ( 14th-19th centuries) in the Museum of Fine Arts. It is a three-storey building around a central courtyard.

Ground floor
Ground floor
Upper floors
Top floor

Goya and Uria

I find Goya one of the most extraordinary painters and look forward to exploring his paintings and drawings in the Prado in Madrid in the autumn of this year. Carlos IV was a weak king and Goya captures this in a wonderful portrait. Contrast this wealth and opulence with the distress and poverty after a strike in the striking painting by Uria.

Carlos IV by Goya, 1789, in the Museum of Fine Arts in Oviedo
Carlos IV by Goya, 1789
'After a Strike' by Jose Uria, 1895
‘After a Strike’ by Jose Uria, 1895

Still life paintings

I enjoy still life paintings and these works by Luis Melendez in the Museum of Fine Arts were lovely, and the same fruit and vegetables we saw during our visit. He was apparently the leading Spanish still life painter during his time.

Still life paintings by Melendez in the Museum of Fine Arts in Oviedo
Paintings by Luis Melendez, 1759

The Museum of Fine Arts in Oviedo is a very fine and varied collection in fascinating buildings – a must-visit in Oviedo. It is always worth spending time in a Fine Arts Museum, and I am always surprised.

Further Information

Exhibits in the Fine Arts Museum

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