Galería Freites, Caracas
Acquired directly from the above by the present owner

Colour: The colours in the catalogue illustration are fairly accurate, although the overall tonality is more vibrant in the original. Condition: This work is in very good and original condition. No restoration is visible under ultra-violet light.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Manolo Valdés’ portraiture actively engages with the history of art and addresses issues ranging from representation and appropriation to heritage, style, and tradition. His innovative technique combines painting with sculpture, boldly mixing diverse and unconventional materials to realise a richly textured manner of figuration. Curator Kosme de Barañano has summarised: “he awakens in us – enabled by the scale and the texture, by complicity and by silence – the immensity and the solitude that history, as a desert of forms, transmits to us” (“Manolo Valdés: A Retrospective” in: Exhibition Catalogue, Bilbao, Guggenheim, Manolo Valdés: Painting and Sculpture,2002-3, p.33).

Executed in 2004, Vivianne II takes inspiration from the canonical Fauve paintings of Henri Matisse, particularly referencing Green Stripe (Madame Matisse) of 1905. Transforming this masterpiece to suit his unique vision, Valdés has intensified several subtle aspects of Matisse’s style and grandly monumentalised its scale. The inspiration that Matisse found in Japanese prints is brought to the fore via thickly applied black lines that delineate the subject’s facial features, recalling the delicacy and boldness of an ink brush. The vibrant, saturated pigments are an homage to the Fauve sensibility but equally bespeak Valdés’ deep connection to the rich colour and light of the Mediterranean. Highly schooled in the history of art, Valdés compares the intellectual aspect of his practice to the working process of a novelist, noting also its extremely personal dimension: “Painting is a specific activity. Just as literature comes from literature, my painting comes from painting. My work is always inspired by pieces I like, or rather I live through those pieces” (Manolo Valdés cited in: Exhibition Catalogue, Valencia, Palau Gallery, Manolo Valdés, 1983).