MANOLO VALDES AT PERA MUSEUM ISTANBUL, TURKEY
May 8, 2013 – July 21, 2013
MANOLO VALDES AT PERA MUSEUM ISTANBUL – TURKEY
Paintings & Sculptures
May 8, 2013 – July 21, 2013
Suna and İnan Kıraç Foundation Pera Museum is pleased to announce a
unique exhibition of Manolo Valdés, one of Spain’s most celebrated contemporary
artists, from 8 May through 21 July 2013. The exhibition, organized in
collaboration with Marlborough Gallery New York, includes selected works of
Valdés, his paintings and sculptures from the 1980s to the present day. A
leading figure in Spanish Pop Art and renowned particularly for the diversity
of his technique and media, Manolo Valdés’ large-scale works, and quests in
form, have proven him to be one of the great masters of contemporary Spanish
art.
Valdés represented his homeland in the 1999 Venice Biennale and has
since been honored with exhibitions of his monumental sculptures in Beijing,
Miami, Monaco, San Francisco, and St. Petersburg. Valdés is one of the few contemporary
artists to successfully master the disciplines of drawing, painting, sculpture,
and lithography. In 1964 Valdés, along with Rafael Solbes and Joan Toledo,
formed an artistic team called Equipo
Crónica, the collective used irony and art
historical appropriation to comment on the Fascist regime of Francisco Franco.
Toledo soon left the association but Valdés and Solbes continued to collaborate
until Solbes' premature death in 1981. Following Solbes' death, Valdés
reinvented himself creating the paradoxically muscular and refined expressive
style centered on art-historical motifs, which he continues to explore today.
Valdés recreated and recontextualized some of Western art's most
representative icons, creating his own private language through a distinctive
production of series, and playing with variations on certain themes. His potent
works are instigated from masterpieces of the past, bearing historic clues of
colors and textures with robust references to art and its history. Impassioned by artists of the past
ranging from Zurbarán to Velázquez, Matisse to Lichtenstein, Valdés finds more
than just inspiration in their paintings; he uses their work “as a pretext” (como
pretexto) to create an entirely new aesthetic object - a painting or
sculpture that, while clearly sourced from a known composition, is a uniquely
brilliant work of art in itself.
Valdés’s work is featured in over 40 public collections, including those
of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Menil Collection in Houston, and the
Centre Pompidou in Paris. He has permanent sculptures in many places, including
Beijing, Madrid, and Bilbao.
2006 marked the twenty-fifth anniversary of the death of Rafael Solbes,
and the consequent dissolution of Equipo
Crónica—a quarter of a century in which Manolo Valdés has continued to work
on his own. In the work of this second half of his life, Valdés has preserved
all of Equipo Crónica’s
ironic efficiency, its ability to create strong visual imagery that can be
easily understood but hard to forget. In an interview, he admitted, I like to
say that I am a repertoire artist, like
the singers that prefer to
stick with certain operas because they can perform them better. The repertoire of my images, the
images I always fall back on, are the series of [Equipo] Crónica, which are
never truly finished.
You may reach to read Manolo Valdes conversation with his paintings and another exhibition news at Marlborough Gallery New York to click below links.
http://mymagicalattic.blogspot.com/2013/07/manolo-valdes-at-pera-museum.html
http://mymagicalattic.blogspot.com.tr/2013/11/manolo-valdes-at-marlborough-gallery.html
http://mymagicalattic.blogspot.com.tr/2013/11/manolo-valdes-at-marlborough-gallery.html
PORTRAIT OF A
LADY WITH NECKLACE 2009
PORTRAIT IN
BLUE & ORANGE 2010
LADY WITH ORANGE HAT, 2009
Oil on Burlap
Dimensions: 239.5 x 200.5 cm
© Artist Manolo Valdes 2013
LADY WITH ORANGE HAT, 2009 ( DETAIL )
LADY WITH ORANGE HAT, 2009 ( DETAIL )
NUDE I, 2010
Oil on Burlap
Dimensions:
183.3 x 238.9 cm
© Artist
Manolo Valdes 2013
A
BLUE NUDE, 2005 ( DETAIL )
BLUE NUDE, 2005 ( DETAIL )
BLUE NUDE, 2005
Mixed Media on
Canvas
Dimensions:
172.1 x 229.9 cm
Private
Collection
© Artist Manolo
Valdes 2013
PORTRAIT IN WHITE & RED 2009
PERA MUSEUM ISTANBUL
PERA MUSEUM ISTANBUL
Inaugurated on 8 June 2005, Pera Museum is a private
museum founded by the Suna and İnan Kıraç Foundation. The aim of offering an
outstanding range of diverse high quality culture and art services is as
important today as when the Museum first opened its doors to the public.
Couched in the historic quarter of Tepebaşı, the
impressive building was originally conceived as the Bristol Hotel, designed by
architect Achille Manoussos. Restorer and architect Sinan Genim was given the
daunting renovation operation in 2003; the triumph of transforming the interior
into a modern and fully equipped museum is only matched by the architect’s
mastery in simultaneously preserving the exterior façade, safeguarding an
integral part of Istanbul’s architectural flavour.
Through Suna and İnan Kıraç Foundation's three
permanent collections, “Orientalist Paintings”, “Anatolian Weights and
Measures”, and “Kütahya Tiles and Ceramics”, Pera Museum seeks not only to
diffuse the aesthetic beauty of these collections but also to create dialogue
with the public concerning the values and identities that they
encompass. Utilizing a full scope of innovative methods, including
exhibitions, publications, audio-visual events, educational activities, and
academic works, the objective of transmitting the beauty and importance of
these works to future generations is realised. Having organized joint projects
with leading international museums, collections, and foundations including Tate
Britain, Victoria and Albert Museum, St. Petersburg Russian State Museum, JP
Morgan Chase Collection, New York School of Visual Arts, and the Maeght
Foundation, Pera Museum has introduced Turkish audiences to countless
internationally acclaimed artists. Some of the most illustrious amongst these
include Jean Dubuffet, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Rembrandt, Niko Pirosmani, Josef
Koudelka, Joan Miró, Akira Kurosawa, Marc Chagall, Pablo Picasso, Fernando
Botero, Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, and Goya.
Since its inauguration, Pera Museum collaborates
annually with national and international institutions of art and education to
hold exhibitions that support young artists. All of the Museum’s exhibitions
are accompanied by books, catalogues, audio-visual events in addition to
education programs. Parallel to its seasonal programs and events, Pera Film
offers visitors and film buffs a wide range of screenings that extend from
classics and independent movies to animated films and documentaries. Pera Film
also hosts special shows that directly correlate with the temporary
exhibitions’ themes.
Pera Museum has evolved to become a leading and
distinguished cultural center in one of the liveliest quarters of İstanbul.
http://www.peramuseum.org/Content/about-pera-museum/58
PERA MUSEUM ISTANBUL
LILLIE X – 2005
LILLIE X – 2005 ( DETAIL )
PERA MUSEUM WELCOMES GREAT
SPANISH MASTER MANOLO VALDES
Pera Museum salutes the spring
of 2013 with an extensive exhibition comprised of the paintings and sculptures
of Manolo Valdés, one of Spain’s most important contemporary artists.
As one of the founding members
of Equipo Crónica, a pioneering movement in contemporary art established in
1964, Valdés started working solo and set his own distinctive style from 1981
onwards.
Taking inspiration from
ancient civilizations, old masters of the Spanish Golden Age such as Velázquez,
Zurbarán, and Goya, and more recent artists such as Matisse, Picasso, Léger and
Brancusi, as well as focusing on current themes, Valdés created fascinating
works of art in the ensuing years.
Having captured the attention
of the art world through paintings he often executed with burlap and layered
paint, as well as sculptures of metal, wood, and alabaster, Valdés left his
imprint on contemporary art with his unique approach, rendition, and works.
With his fresh take on the works and subjects from which
he—self-admittedly—derives his inspiration, Valdés transforms a two-dimensional
image into a three-dimensional one and lends the work a new identity.
Comprised of 59 works, 46
paintings and 13 sculptures, focusing predominantly on the subject of the
female, this exhibition will not only take art-lovers on a pleasant journey
across Valdés’s rich and colourful world of imagination that extends from
ancient civilizations to great masters of the past and present, but it will
also draw considerable interest from art circles in Turkey and abroad.
Pera Museum brought this
exhibition to life over a period of two years in collaboration with Marlborough
Gallery New York, one of the leading galleries in the world. We would thus like
to take this opportunity to extend our heartfelt appreciation to the esteemed
artist Manolo Valdés, the Marlborough Gallery New York management and staff,
the Suna and İnan Kıraç Foundation Pera Museum team, as well as all other
individuals and institutions that have contributed towards this project.
Suna, İnan, & İpek Kıraç
LILLIE X – 2005 ( DETAIL )
THE NEWSPAPER,
1997
Oil on Burlap
Dimensions:
217.1 x 156.5 cm
© Artist
Manolo Valdes 2013
THE NEWSPAPER, 1997 ( DETAIL )
QUEEN MARIANA
XII, 1982
Wood
Dimensions:
153 x 115 x 100 cm
© Artist
Manolo Valdes 2013
QUEEN MARIANA,
2005
Bronze
Dimensions:
170 x 125 x 90 cm
© Artist
Manolo Valdes 2013
A
LADY OF ARGEL
V, 2011
Oil on Burlap
Dimensions:
172 x 120 cm
© Artist
Manolo Valdes 2013
LADY OF ARGEL V, 2011 ( DETAIL )
LADY OF ARGEL V, 2011 ( DETAIL )
CLOCK IV, 1999
Oil on Burlap
Dimensions:
165.1 x 152.4 cm
© Artist
Manolo Valdes 2013
CLOCK IV, 1999 ( DETAIL )
VIVIANNE III,
2005
Oil on Burlap
Dimensions:
170.2 x 132.1 cm
Private
Collection
© Artist
Manolo Valdes 2013
VIVIANNE III, 2005 ( DETAIL )
VIVIANNE III, 2005 ( DETAIL )
RIBERA AS
PRETEXT 1988
RIBERA AS PRETEXT 1988 ( DETAIL )
RIBERA AS PRETEXT 1988 ( DETAIL )
NUDE IN PINK
2010
NUDE IN PINK 2010 ( DETAIL )
NUDE IN PINK 2010 ( DETAIL )
SILVER
BUTTERFLIES, 2011
Aluminium
Dimensions:
103 x 242 x 90 cm
© Artist
Manolo Valdes 2013
A
,+1991+DETAIL+2.jpg)
FANS ( DIPTYCH ) 1994 ( DETAIL )
FANS ( DIPTYCH ) 1994 ( DETAIL )
+1994.jpg)
FANS ( DIPTYCH
) 1994
MANOLO VALDÉS
1942 Born in
Valencia, Spain, on March 8th
1957 Entered
the Real Academia de Bellas Artes
de San Carlos de Valencia, Spain; left in 1958 to devote his life to painting
1964-81 Formed the group “Equipo Crónica” with
Joan A. Toledo and Rafael
Solbes; Toledo left the group after a year but Valdés and Solbes
continued their association with “Equipo Crónica” until the death of Solbes in
1981. As a member of “Equipo Crónica,” Manolo Valdés participated in over sixty
solo exhibitions and numerous group exhibitions.
The artist lives and works in New York, USA and Madrid, Spain.
AWARDS AND HONORS
1965 Biella
Prize, Comune di Biella, Milan, Italy
1979 Silver
medal, 2nd International
Biennial of Prints, Tokyo, Japan
Prize, Bridgestone Museum of Art,
Lisbon, Portugal
1985 National
Medal of Fine Arts, Government of Spain, Madrid, Spain
1986 Medal of
the Biennial, International Festival of the Plastic Arts, Baghdad,
Iraq
1993 Order of
Andrés Bello Award, Honour Class, Caracas, Venezuela
1997 32nd Prize of the National Council, La
Fondation Prince Pierre de Monaco, Monte Carlo, Monaco
1998 Gold Medal of Merit in the Fine Arts,
Minister of Culture of Spain, Madrid, Spain
1999 Representative
for Spain, International Art Exhibition, Venice Biennial, Venice, Italy
2000 The
Spanish Association of Art Critics Award for Print, Madrid, Spain
The Spanish Association of Art Critics
Award for ARCO, Madrid, Spain
2002 The
Spanish Association of Art Critics Award for Print, Madrid, Spain
2004 Valenciano
Award of the 21st Century,
Las Provincias, Valencia, Spain
2005 Order of Cultural Merit, Ordonnance
Souveraine, Monte Carlo, Monaco
2006 Archival
Award Spain 2005, Madrid, Spain
Doctor Honoris Causa, University
Miguel Hernández, Elche, Spain
2007 National Order of Merit, President of the
French Republic, Paris, France
2010 International Medal of Community Arts
of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
