Manolo Valdés: An extraordinary artist

The Valencian sculptor, painter, and printmaker Manolo Valdés has a unique way of making art: his series, composed of unrepeatable pieces, are a constant exploration of art history and the great masters who preceded him, all viewed through the lens of a brilliant mind of our time. 

It is difficult to pinpoint the inspirations from which Valdés draws when creating his works, as they seem to come from the entire history of art. However, one common element stands out in the prolific and multifaceted career of this Valencian artist, who has been based in New York for decades: his passion for working with series instead of single works.

As the artist himself confesses, when an idea takes hold of him, his instinct drives him to approach it repeatedly, never settling for the result obtained, never limiting himself to one form or another, moving from the two-dimensionality of printmaking to the volume of large sculptures. Working in series or “cantos” allows him a deeper analysis of that art history that fascinates him, experimenting at new levels and enriching the analysis of his work.

Art as inspiration for art

The techniques that most enhance this form of creation, based on modifications and experiments, range from intaglio printing to flat stamping techniques like lithography and screen printing, as well as etching, which he enriches with the volume of collages made from fabric and burlap, the aquatint variant, drypoint, and even the ancient art of chine-collé.

Valdés follows in the footsteps of geniuses like Warhol, Pablo Serrano or Picasso, to explain the history of art in his own way. His works recover elements that range from ancient Sumerian heads, predating Classical Greece, to characteristics of pop art and American culture, passing through the Italian Renaissance and avant-garde movements like Cubism.

Portraits filled with history 

All this fusion of ideas, techniques and artistic movements comes together with special skill in the portraits that Valdés interprets and reinterprets in his famous series. Some of them, like Silvana y Paolo, Dama con abanico, Perfil, or Pamela, inherit Matisse’s Fauvism with a unique use of color. Meanwhile, in his series on Cubism as a Pretext, the author transforms famous figures from art history into dynamic forms, simplified to their most iconic essence through the stereotypes of each artistic movement they refer to.

Left: Dama con abanico, 2007. Etching and collage, 49 × 35 cm.

Right: Lillie IV, 2007. Etching and collage, 53 × 38 cm.

Co-editing ARTIKA-Manolo Valdés ©Manolo Valdés Studio, 2023.

His prints of Caballero, inspired by the portrait of Felipe IV, are an example of this transformation, which, despite the changes, keeps the essence of the original work alive. Another classic piece that has passed through Valdés’ mind and lens is The half-submerged dog by Goya, as well as still life of flowers, further expanding the repertoire of the Valencian artist.

Left: Felipe IV de castaño y plata (Felipe IV of chestnut and silver), h. 1631, Diego Velázquez (1599-1660). Oil on canvas, 195 × 110 cm. National Gallery, London.

Central: Caballero VI (detail), 2006, M. Valdés. Ed. 50. Etching and collage, 167 × 96 cm.

Right: Caballero VII (detail), 2006, M. Valdés. Ed. 50. Etching and collage, 167 × 96 cm.

Co-editing ARTIKA-Manolo Valdés ©Manolo Valdés Studio, 2023.

Queen Mariana: his greatest inspiration 

But if there is one figure that has marked the career of Manolo Valdés, one symbol that has made him international and that the artist has internationalized in turn, it is none other than Queen Mariana.

The charismatic silhouette inherited from Velázquez has given rise to a series of 10 prints in which Valdés, as if sculpting, forgets the background around the figure and simplifies it to the iconic, monumentalizing details to merge unexpected art styles.

Left: Reina Mariana de Austria (Queen Mariana of Austria), 1652-53, Diego Velázquez. Oil on canvas, 231 x 131 cm. Prado Museum, Madrid.

Central: Reina Mariana VI, 2001. M. Valdés. Ed. 50. Etching and collage, 167 × 96 cm.

Right: Reina Mariana V, 2001. M. Valdés. Ed. 50. Etching and collage, 167 × 96 cm.

Co-editing ARTIKA-Manolo Valdés ©Manolo Valdés Studio, 2023.

Valdés takes his muse out of the painting and gives her three-dimensionality in his sculptures, forged from all kinds of materials. The dresses, headpieces, and forms of these figures adorn gardens and galleries around the world, and one of his latest versions was designed by the Valencian artist for the work Damas y caballeros: Manolo Valdés.

An exclusive edition featuring a blue resin Menina, a spectacular artist’s book that explores the life and work of our most international painter, sculptor, and printmaker.

– Limited and numbered edition of 998 copies signed by the artist.

– The work consists of two volumes housed in an elegant case that merges with one of his famous Meninas, Queen Mariana, with the cracks and “noises” that make each figure unique.

– The Art Book presents 53 paintings, prints, and collages by the artist, reproduced with the highest quality.

– The Study Book gathers the most authoritative voices on the figure of Manolo Valdés to reflect on his work, his life, and his greatest inspirations.