Raúl Abad

RAÚL ABAD (Alfara del Patriarca, Valencia, 1972).
“The Four Elements,” 2019.
Lost-wax cast bronze, polished and with patinas in various shades.
Signed on the base.
In good overall condition.
Measurements: 53 × 44 × 44 cm.

Conceived as a synthesis of the four elements—earth, water, air, and fire—this work belongs to Raúl Abad’s most abstract and conceptual body of work. The piece contrasts a solid horizontal base, with an organic surface and greenish tones, with an ascending, stylized, and tapered form that conveys an intense sense of momentum and verticality. The artist himself relates this structure to the tension between the earthly realm and the aspiration toward air and fire, while the base evokes the earth and the movement of water.

The technical execution directly reflects this approach. The bronze was cast using the traditional lost-wax method, hand-polished, and treated with various patinas, allowing warm surfaces to contrast with others of a more mineral and textured character. The opening in the vertical body takes on special significance: far from functioning as a mere formal element, Abad conceives it as a void linked to transformation and the transition between the different elements. The contrast between fullness and emptiness, matter and space, thus endows the sculpture with a meaning that shifts depending on the viewer’s perspective.

Throughout his career, Abad has alternated between figurative and abstract explorations, maintaining a direct familiarity with materials such as bronze and stone as a common thread. This technical mastery, acquired during his early years working in the family workshop, is a constant feature of his work.

Raúl Abad is based in Valencia, where he creates sculptures that encompass both figurative and abstract and conceptual styles. In 2014, he presented the exhibition *Sentidos* at the Centre d’Artesania de la Comunitat Valenciana. Among his commissions, the black granite bust of Severiano Ballesteros stands out; it was installed in Pedreña in 2012 at the initiative of the golfer’s family. In 2023, he also created the Monument to the Dockworker of the Port of Valencia, a public marble sculpture commissioned by the Port Employment Center and the Port Authority of Valencia.