Monumental sculptures by Manolo Valdés in Santander
Santander, Spain
08 July 2025
Videography © Enrique Palacio
Opera Gallery is pleased to present a series of monumental outdoor sculptures by Manolo Valdés throughout the scenic Bay of Santander in partnership with the Council of Santander. The presentation will include four of Valdés’s iconic Reina Mariana crystalline resin sculptures–installed in the historic Pier Calderón in the Bay of Santander from 1 July–30 September, 2025, in tandem with an exclusive presentation of three additional monumental headdress sculptures–installed on the grounds of Palace of La Magdalena from 1 July, 2025–July 2026.
Manolo Valdés is globally renowned for his paintings and sculptures that reference and reinterpret significant moments from art history. His interpretations of allegorical characters and totemic icons employ diverse materials, from crystalline resin to Corten steel to Murano glass.
He began his career in the 1960s as a founding member of Equipo Crónica, an artist collective within Pop Art that used its visual language to question both Franco’s Spanish dictatorship and the grand narratives of art history. After the collective ended in 1981, Valdés continued exploring the appropriation and reinterpretation of masterpieces.
Valdés's presentation at the Palace of La Magdalena will feature large-scale headdress sculptures—Clio White, 2020; Blue Circles, 2024; and Mariposas, 2024—incorporating geometric shapes and butterfly motifs. In Mariposas, butterflies form a swirling headdress atop a static head, symbolising the birth of ideas.
In the Bay of Santander, four of his celebrated Reina Mariana sculptures will be displayed. These large-scale crystalline resin works reference the iconic Reina Mariana de Austria figure from Diego Velázquez's 1656 painting Las Meninas.
The Bay of Santander, a culturally significant landmark, previously hosted Valdés's monumental sculptures in 2009 in a presentation organised by La Caixa Foundation and MAS: Museo de Arte Moderno y Contemporáneo de Santander. Known for its natural beauty and proximity to UNESCO World Heritage sites, Santander has emerged as a cultural hub, drawing daily visitors with its rich heritage and artistic offerings.
The next solo Manolo Valdés exhibition at Opera Gallery will take place this September in Monaco, continuing to showcase new works of the artist's ongoing practice.
