During the poet's lifetime, no sculptures were created as he did not wish for them. "My Arab ugliness will be consigned to immortality in all its dead immobility," he wrote to his wife. The first monument to the poet was erected on June 6, 1880, in Moscow. Among many proposed projects, the commission chose the work of sculptor A. Opekushin. Since then, busts and statues of the poet have appeared in various corners of the world; Pushkin's fame has crossed borders. Monuments to Pushkin can be seen in more than forty countries. Not only his name but also his likeness is familiar to residents of Bucharest and Washington, Paris and Istanbul, Seoul and Shanghai, Manila and Delhi, Rome and Madrid, Düsseldorf and Brussels, Montreal and Cairo.

In Madrid, a bronze Pushkin, created by sculptor Oleg Komov, was unveiled on January 27, 1981, as part of the first Moscow Week in Madrid.

In 1980, the Soviet ambassador to Spain, Yuri Dubinin, negotiated with the Kingdom's government for a cultural exchange, during which a monument to Alexander Pushkin was made in the USSR. Fuentes del Berro Park, where the sculpture is installed, is located in the city center and is considered one of the most romantic parks in the Spanish capital.

In response, Madrid gifted Moscow a statue of Cervantes, which is an exact copy of the sculpture that adorns the center of Madrid. The monument, which was inaugurated in November 1981 in honor of the first Madrid Week in Moscow, is located in the Peoples' Friendship Park in Khimki.