Manolo Valdés

Damas y Caballeros

Damas y Caballeros is an exclusive artist's book, an exciting journey through Manolo Valdés' career, which allows us to learn about his techniques, concerns and influences.

In “Damas y Caballeros”, Valdés delves into his artistic universe, intricately intertwining figures of ladies, gentlemen, profiles and heads. The book reveals the enduring influence of artistic luminaries such as Matisse, Picasso and Velázquez, and shows the evolution of Valdés’ creative process over the years.

A limited edition of 998 numbered copies signed by the artist.

The work is also composed of two volumes, the Art Book and the Study Book, which are kept and protected in an elegant cloth-covered case with the artist’s name silkscreened on the cover. This joins the figure of the menina to form a work of art in itself.

«The artist's involvement in the whole process has been absolute, to such an extent that he has created a figure with the image of one of his iconic meninas, made in resin, perfect in its irregular finish, with pores and noises that make each piece unique.»

A unique collection in which the wisdom of the great masters is felt, the colors and techniques of past times that Valdés revisits and transforms with his current look, achieving that unique fusion between past and present.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

ART BOOK

  • Includes 53 paintings, engravings and collages from his most representative periods, personally selected by the artist for this edition and reproduced with the highest quality.
  • Bilingual edition, Spanish and English.
  • 128 pages.
  • Size: 40 x 40 cm.
  • Weight: 4.090 kg.

STUDIES BOOK

  • It gathers in 4 chapters the reflections and analysis of great experts on the artist’s trajectory, work and influences.
  • Monolingual edition (two versions: in Spanish or English).
  • 200 pages + flyleaves. 
  • Size: 35 x 35 cm. 
  • Weight: 2,030 kg.

CASE + FIGURE

  • 10 mm DM wood case, lined with Dubletta 3255 cloth with the signature of Manolo Valdés silkscreened in 2 inks and reproduction on cloth of a detail of the engraving Reina Mariana VIII.
  • Measures: 48,1 x 48,1 x 6,9 cm.
  • Case weight: 2,390 kg.
  • Figure created by Manolo Valdés. Made of crystalline polyester resin.
  • Measures: 33,5 x 44 x 31,5 cm.
  • Weight of the figure: 10,830 kg.
  • Total weight of the work approx.: 19,35 kg.

PRODUCTION PROCESS

Manolo Valdés has participated in all the processes of creation of the work: from the selection of the engravings to the design of the menina, signing, in addition, each copy.

The binding of both volumes is handmade. On the cover of the Study Book appears the image of Manolo Valdés in his workshop.

The cover, back cover and spine of the Art Book are covered in fabric, with images of the ladies and gentlemen so present in the artist’s work.

The 53 plates of engravings are attached to the Art Book one by one with three glue points for their enjoyment and optimum conservation of the paper.

The numbering and stamp of authenticity and origin appear on the back of each plate.

The wooden case is covered with gray cloth. Valdés’ signature is stamped on the cover, designed with a neodymium magnet closure.

For the elaboration of the menina, the starting point is an original model of aged wood with noises and cracks, identical to the artist’s monumental works.

The figure is covered with silicone to create the mold, respecting even the smallest detail of the original model. 

Once the mold is obtained, it is coated with a mixture of transparent thixotropic resin and blue ink, and left to set until it hardens.

When the mixture of resin and dye has hardened, the figure is unmolded, bringing to light the figure of a blue menina.

Each figure is sanded and polished by hand, obtaining the best finish with all the details and making each piece unique and unrepeatable.

The case with both volumes inside is joined to the figure, completing an exclusive work of art that reveals the essence of Manolo Valdés.

Manolo Valdés

Manolo Valdés

(Valencia, 1942) After an early period at the San Carlos School of Fine Arts in his native Valencia, Manolo Valdés began his adventure as a painter.

During the 60’s and 70’s he was part of Equipo Crónica, with art as a vindictive tool. After its dissolution, he resumed his solo career, settling in the new capital of world art, New York, where his stay became indefinite.

Valdés’ work, which ranges from painting, collage and engraving to sculpture, revises, reinterprets and celebrates the history of art, establishing creative dialogues with the great masters of the past.

About the artist

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