Manuel Marín

MANUEL MARÍN (Cieza, Murcia, 1942 - Málaga, 2007).
Untitled, c. 1980.
Polychrome iron. Unique piece.
Attached certificate of authenticity issued by Mrs. Monika Rabassa, widow of the artist.
It has very slight wear.
Signed.
Measurements: 77 x 178 x 90 cm.
This work by Manuel Marín is part of a line of research close to kinetic art, where balance and structural tension replace any narrative intention. The composition, articulated as a mobile, organizes biomorphic forms of flat color (reds, blues and yellows) suspended in a rhythmic sequence that suggests latent movement. The influence of Alexander Calder is evident in the use of asymmetrical balance and the activation of empty space as an essential part of the work. However, Marín introduces a more solid sculptural base, which provides a contrast between lightness and anchorage.
Manuel Marín started bullfighting at the age of ten and made his debut at sixteen, but at the age of twenty he moved to London, where he worked in an art gallery and turned to sculpture. There he collaborated with Henry Moore as an assistant in the creation of bronze works. In 1964 he settled in New York, where he was an art restorer before opening The American Indian Art Gallery, with clients including Warhol, Basquiat, De Kooning and Keith Haring. In 1969 he began making his own sculptures, influenced by mobile art, and in 1970 he presented his first exhibition at the Alan Brown Gallery in Scarsdale. His work has been exhibited internationally and currently has public monuments in the United States and Spain, as well as being present in collections in different countries.