Too New for Guidebooks: the Murals of 25 de Agosto

The small town of Villa 25 de Agosto in Uruguay is worth a visit to admire over 60 finely executed murals, which decorate many buildings in town. 25 de Agosto is about an hour north of Montevideo by car.

Woman at a piano; this is part of an ensemble of murals, all depicting musicians

Today we want to introduce an attraction of Uruguay which, in all likelihood, isn’t yet mentioned in your guidebook. When we enquired about the murals of Villa 25 de Agosto at the government tourist information office in Montevideo they didn’t seem to know about them, although you can find a short entry mentioning them on their website .

As a possible tourist destination they only gained attention quite recently. In mid-September 2015 the small town of 25 de Agosto held festivities to celebrate the official inauguration of the “Ruta de los Murales”. The murals are the brainchild of French visual artist Michele Dubaux who lives, with her husband, in 25 de Agosto and runs the studio Leoarti (LEO is also her signature on most of her paintings).

She painted her first mural in the town in 2009. Since then the number has risen to over 60, and more art is being added to the walls every few months. The majority of pieces were executed by her personally, others by artists and students of Leoarti.

Villa 25 de Agosto is a small town in the province of Florida, a good hour north of Montevideo by car. Somehow it looks even more sleepy than other rural towns we have passed through in Uruguay. 25 de Agosto is off Ruta 11. A major train line passes through and stops here, otherwise probably no one would find their way here. Except that now people will come for the astonishing number of finely executed murals on display.

Dark red coloured house with murals depicting traditional gaucho scenes in 25 de Agosto

Murals near the train station

White horse at full moon – opposite the train station on Ramon Alvarez

Mural with a spiritual quote, almost opposite the train station of 25 de Agosto

Art Nouveau murals on a corner restaurant on Ramon Alvarez in Villa 25 de Agosto

Dark red coloured house with murals depicting traditional gaucho scenes in 25 de Agosto – Gaucho family and native birds outside the frame

Dark red coloured house with murals depicting traditional gaucho scenes in 25 de Agosto – Gauchos standing around

Dark red coloured house with murals depicting traditional gaucho scenes in 25 de Agosto – an old man holding a child and riding a horse

Dark red coloured house with murals depicting traditional gaucho scenes in 25 de Agosto – 2 pictures

Rural scene on a corner of Ramon Alvarez in Villa 25 de Agosto

Fantasy bird, on the same house as the rural scene

Naive animals, also on the same house as the rural scene

Horse in fog, on a garage door next to the naive animals

Residential house with mural, just off Ramon Alvarez in Villa 25 de Agosto

Wall with beach scene mural in 25 de Agosto

An old steam train comes across the old steel bridge of 25 de Agosto

I have posted this in our ‘Street Art’ category, although the style certainly differs from the traditional understanding of street art. You find none of the impromptu coarse lines of spray-can paint, or the socio critical humour, which is often present in contemporary street art. The majority of these murals are finely detailed paintings, almost entirely brushwork, reminiscent of classic oil paintings. As a matter of fact a few are copies of famous works.

The style of 25 de Agosto’s murals ranges from Realism to Expressionist Art. Several are so realistically executed that they convey the famous French Trompe L’oeil style. Often local scenes, people, or stories have inspired their central motifs. Others are interpretations of classic art pieces.

Murals near the central plaza

Mural showing old sailing boats and women on the beach, also on the main square of Villa 25 de Agosto

Mural ‘Tango in Full Moon’, on the main square of Villa 25 de Agosto

Pink flowering tree in front of a red curved bridge, sidewall of a residential house next to the main square of Villa 25 de Agosto

Corner bar in Villa 25 de Agosto with a mural showing a horse race

Trompe L’Oeil window mural, painted onto a bricked-up door. One of the over 60 murals in Villa 25 de Agosto

Apparently the artists usually incorporate the stories and ideas of the owners of each house they decorate. Horses seem to be one recurring favourite of Michele Dubaux. This makes sense because horses still play an important role in rural South America. They are essential for the Gaucho lifestyle and to draw the small carts of poorer peasants.

Murals throughout Villa 25 de Agosto

Mural depicting old battlers sitting around a fire (the one on the left is ‘real’)

Old house with Trompe L’Oeil plants painted on its facade

A wall depicting the river and old railway bridge of Villa 25 de Agosto

Pink corner building in 25 de Agosto with a collection of murals

One of the murals on the pink corner house in Villa 25 de Agosto

Old-fashioned farmers’ tales next to a brightly painted bakery in 25 de Agosto

Trompe L’Oeil courtyard mural with cat

A house front with several native scenes (located uphill from the green bakery)

Our gallery post contains less than half of the murals to be found in Villa 25 de Agosto. To see them all, we encourage you to visit and stroll around this quiet little town!

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