La Pamela, 2018

Sculpture in bronze with golden patina, Ex. 2/9

Dimensions: 65 x 65 x 18 cm

La Pamela, a bronze sculpture consisting of two parts, is a recent work by the artist Manolo Valdés. Apart from the non-represented face, which is covered by a large overlapping sun hat - a so-called Pamela - the sculpture is particularly captivating because of its gold patina. The resulting reflection on the shiny surface contrasts with the brittle cast surface of the bronze, which was deliberately worked out by the artist. Since 2018, a large sculpture of La Pamela has been positioned at La Marina de Valencia. This was donated to the city of Valencia by the Hortensia Herrero Foundation in 2017 after a public vote.

The thematic fields that stimulate and encourage the thinking and thus the inspiration for the work of Manolo Valdés (born in Valencia in 1942) are found by the artist during his frequent visits to museums. One of these points of reference in his youth, for example, was the Prado. Later, when Valdés moved his centre of life to New York, this role was taken over by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, whose cult paper bag was even included in his work. Art critic and curator Dr Javier Molins describes this as follows: "Manolo Valdés is in search of his inspiration in his contemplation of art history."

After the artist group Equipo Crónica, founded in 1964 by Manolo Valdés, Juan Toledo and Rafael Solbes, Valdés began his own career in 1981. In addition to numerous solo exhibitions in essential galleries and museums, such as the Freites Gallery in Caracas, the Bilbao Fine Arts Museum or later the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, as well as in numerous museums in South America, the artist received various decorations. These include the National Medal for Fine Arts in Spain (1985), the Award of the National Council of Prince Pierre of Monaco Foundation (1997), the Award of the Spanish Society for Art Criticism (2000), Knight in the Order of Cultural Merit of Monaco.