Manolo Valdes

Born March 8, 1942 in Valencia, Spain. He attended high school at the Dominican school in his hometown. In 1957, once he finished his studies, he entered the San Carlos School of Fine Arts, but after two years he dropped out to devote himself to painting full time.

In 1962 he presented a group of works in this style at the Nebli Gallery in Madrid, which was his first individual exhibition, showing his natural ability for the arts.

In 1964 he founded the artistic group Chronicle Team together with Juan Antonio Toledo y Rafael Solbes in which he remained until Solbes’ death in 1981, even though two years after the group was founded, Toledo had left it.

Influenced by Velazquez, Rembrandt, Rubens and Matisse, Manolo Valdés creates a large format work in which the lights and colors express a feeling of tactility due to the treatment given to the materials. His work forces the viewer to delve into memory and search for significant images from the history of art.

Throughout his professional career, Valdés has participated in more than sixty solo exhibitions and as many group exhibitions, being one of the artists of his time with greater international projection.

He has received, among others, the following distinctions: National Prize of Plastic Arts, National Medal of Painting of Fine Arts of Spain, Gold Medal of Merit of Fine Arts of Spain, Chevalier dans l’Ordre du Merite Culturel Monegasque of Monaco and Officier de L’Ordre National du Merit of France.