Identity, memory and rural development: public art in Fuendetodos (Zaragoza, Spain)

Small towns in Spain’s depopulated areas are currently seeking ways to promote their cultural heritage in their bid to create wealth. Francisco de Goya’s birthplace (Fuendetodos in the region of Zaragoza, Spain) holds a significant ensemble of public art which has not been analysed up to now. It is our purpose to examine the historical evolution of public art in this town from the erection of the Monumento a Goya by artist Julio Antonio in 1920 (a major landmark in the history of Spain’s public art) to the creation of the Goya Street Art Museum, an open-air urban art museum that extends throughout the village. Our research work is based on newspaper and periodical material as well as archive documentation and photographs in order to render an accurate account of the history of Fuendetodos’ urban monuments and murals. The analysis of the fieldwork carried out in situ reveals the potential of this town as its collection of open-air contemporary art may serve to revitalize the area and assist in the struggle against depopulation