1 / 9
Premium COTE BASQUE ENCHERES
606
-
Manolo VALDES (born 1942) Reina Mariana, from the series [La…
See original version (French)
606
-
Manolo VALDES (born 1942) Reina Mariana, from the series [La…
See original version (French)
Estimate €8,000 - €12,000
Voluntary lot
Description
Manolo VALDES (born 1942)
Reina Mariana, from the series [Las Meninas], the model created in 2005
LARGE SCULPTURE in mauve resin, in two parts, mounted on castors.
One of six proofs from the CAPA ESCULTURAS workshops, signed, produced in 2007 for Thierry Malandin’s ballet *Le Portrait de l’Infante* to music by Maurice Ravel, premiered on 18 March 2008.
Height: 250 cm; Width: 200 cm; Depth: 120 cm
(condition report available on request – subject to the possibility of reassembly)
Provenance: Ballet Malandin, Biarritz.
The work will be sold in aid of the Ballet Malandin in Biarritz.
Lot sold inclusive of VAT, which is recoverable.
(photo credits: Olivier Houeix)
*Le Portrait de l’Infante* is a ballet created in 2008 by Thierry Malandain, inspired by the paintings of Velázquez, notably *Las Meninas*, and the music of Maurice Ravel. The project combines choreography by Thierry Malandain, sculptures by Manolo Valdés, sets and costumes by Jorge Gallardo, and lighting by Jean-Claude Asquié.
It draws on elements from Velázquez’s famous painting (dwarves, dogs, horses) and myths such as The Punishment of Arachne, transposing them into dance movements. As part of the set design, Thierry Malandain commissioned three ‘Las Meninas’ from the sculptor Manolo Valdés, as a tribute to Velázquez’s masterpiece.
The ballet explores the duality between reality and dreams, moving away from a literal representation to create a ‘faceless portrait’, evoking art as a mirror of identity.
In 2005, thanks to Pierre Levai, director of the Marlborough Gallery, Thierry Malandain met Manolo Valdès in Biarritz. Both deeply steeped in art history, which they were bringing up to date, they decided to collaborate. Manolo Valdès had been struck by a collector who one day recognised himself in a painting that ‘had neither eyes, nor a moustache, nor a face, nor anything’. This ‘widespread interest in assimilation’ made a deep impression on Thierry Malandain, who wanted to use this image from Valdès’s Las Meninas to accompany his ballet.
Three of these six sculptures were featured on stage during the performances. A set of six was required for the tour. All six sculptures are now being offered for auction.
The show’s premiere took place on 18 March 2008 at the Grand Théâtre de Luxembourg. It subsequently toured Russia (Yekaterinburg), Spain (San Sebastián, Zaragoza, Gijón, La Coruña), Italy (Bolzano), the USA (New York), Germany (Wiesbaden, Friedrichshafen, Neuss, Marburg), Canada (Quebec) and France (Paris, Biarritz, Vichy, Vélizy-Villacoublay, Angoulême, Reims, Elancourt, Mont-de-Marsan, Périgueux, Blagnac, Bezons and Laval).
Thierry Malandin was the first director of the Centre Chorégraphique National Ballet Biarritz from its foundation in 1998. The CCN Ballet Biarritz became the Malandain Ballet Biarritz in 2009. The choreographer Thierry Malandin was elected to the Académie Française on 6 April 2022. He is stepping down this year, having established Biarritz as a major centre for dance and ballet in France, and is handing over the reins to Martin Harriague.
See original version (French)
Auto-translation. Refer to original language for legal validity.
Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
You may also like