Matisse como Protexto con Espejo, 2018

Wall object as mixed media on canvas framed, unique specimen

Dimensions: 118 x 141 cm

Influenced above all by Veláquez, Rembrandt, Matisse and Picasso, Valdés works with large formats in which light and colours create a feeling of "tangibility". His works have a strong aura and are imbued with symbols of art history. Valdés' techniques include painting, large-scale sculpture, etching and collage.

Between 1965 and 1981, Valdés has been represented in more than 70 solo and group exhibitions. He has received numerous prizes and awards, including the "Lissone and Biella" in Milan, 1965; the Silver Medal of the 2nd International Biennale of Printing in Tokyo; a prize from the Bridgestone Art Museum in Lisbon; the Alfons Roig Prize in Valencia; the National Award for the Fine Arts in Spain; a medal from the International Festival of the Plastic Arts in Baghdad; and, in 1993, the Medal of the Order of Andrés Bello in Venezuela.

Manolo Valdés was born in Valencia on 8 March 1942. In 1957 he started at the Esculea de Bellas Artes de San Carlos, where he studied for two years. In 1964 he founded the artists' group Equipo Cronicawith Joan Toledo and Rafael Solbes, in which he remained until Solbes' death in 1981. He now lives and works in New York City and Madrid.