Manolo Valdés

MANOLO VALDÉS (Valencia, 1942).
"Don Juan," 2007.
Portfolio consisting of 10 original prints. Etching, drypoint, and resin on Moulín Richard de Bas handmade paper.
Copy 69/120.
Texts printed on Euskulan handmade paper.
Published by Édouard & Julien Weiss, Paris.
All prints are signed and numbered by hand by the artist. Additional signature on the edition number.
Measurements: 75.5 × 56.3 cm (each print); 76.5 × 60 × 6.5 cm (portfolio).

"Don Juan" is one of the most meticulously crafted and ambitious print editions created by Manolo Valdés. Published in Paris in 2007 in a limited edition of just 120 copies, it brings together ten original prints conceived as a unified work, in which the artist reinterprets the myth of Don Juan through the visual language that has made his body of work a benchmark of contemporary Spanish art. The stylized figures, the power of black, the economy of line, and the dialogue between negative space and form encapsulate some of the most recognizable constants in his work, establishing a subtle connection with masters such as Velázquez and Matisse from a fully contemporary perspective. The high quality, limited edition, and the artist’s autograph on every print make this portfolio one of the most interesting graphic publications in Valdés’s body of work.

As a co-founder of Equipo Crónica, Manolo Valdés is one of Spain’s most internationally recognized figures. Since the 1980s, he has pursued a solo career focused on reinterpreting art history, representing Spain at major international art fairs and museums. His work is part of such prestigious collections as the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the Tate in London, and the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, establishing himself as one of the most sought-after and in-demand contemporary Spanish artists on the international market.