Manolo Valdés, recent works at Opera Gallery
Manolo Valdés-Recent Works is a monographic exhibition focused on the recent production of painter and sculptor Manolo Valdés – one of the most important Spanish artists on the contemporary art scene.
The exhibition transports us to the world of Manolo Valdés and his iconic figures, such as the heads withbutterfly-adorned headdresses and the famous hat-wearing women. Botticelli’s figure of Clio, whose ovalface is set among a geometry of flowers and beams, has certainly influenced the artist, Valdés actualizesthis ancient muse–an inexhaustible source of inspiration–by putting her in conversation with variousperiods of art history.
Since the late 1970s, Valdés has transcended his iconoclastic art to transform hiswork into a true homage to the material. The extremely pure faces, basic lines, and the color’spredominance over the form, reveal and demonstrate the artist’s talent and ability to navigate betweenfiguration and abstraction. The figures, which radiate a sense of lightness, appear to float where lines,leading to the sky, encourage elevation.
With this new series Valdés intends to work with new references, more modern and abstract than hisclassical inspirations, which include Velázquez, with his famous Ménines, and Matisse with his collages.
Visitors will also be invited to experience the exhibition outside the gallery walls, thanks to Opera Gallery’s collaboration with the Bristol, located a short walk from the gallery on rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré. The sculptures will be on display in the renowned Parisian hotel: two in the lobby, one at the entrance to the Épicure restaurant.
Place/ Opera Gallery, Paris
ft/ courtesy Opera Gallery
