Manolo Valdes

MANOLO VALDÉS (Valencia, 1942).
"Klee". Series "Queen Mariana as a pretext", 1984.
Etching, copy 69/75.
Signed and justified by hand.
Measurements: 42 x 30 cm.(footprint); 70 x 56,5 cm.(paper).

Work belonging to one of the most emblematic graphic series of Manolo Valdés, in which the artist takes the historical figure of Queen Mariana as a starting point for an exercise of reinterpretation. Entitled "Klee", Valdés establishes a dialogue with the formal universe of the Swiss painter, reducing the image to a scheme of essential lines and geometric shapes. The incorporation of fragments of sheet music and the almost childlike character of the line reinforce the reference to modernity and the language of collage. A remarkable example of his ability to turn pictorial tradition into a creative "pretext", loaded with irony and cultural memory.

Manolo Valdés is one of the most influential contemporary Spanish artists. In 1964 he co-founded the group Equipo Crónica, whose pop-critical approach represented a significant renovation of Spanish painting at the time. After the dissolution of the group in 1981, Valdés began a solo career that has consolidated his international and unique profile. He has received numerous awards, including the National Prize for Plastic Arts and the Gold Medal for Merit in Fine Arts.

Valdés' work is part of the collections of the world's leading museums, including the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía (Madrid), the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York), the Centre Pompidou (Paris), the Kunstmuseum (Berlin) and the Guggenheim Bilbao, among others.