By Jennifer Glickel
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
UPPER WEST SIDE — Famed European sculptor Manolo Valdés has brought his work to New York in a big way, lining an hundred-block stretch of Broadway with his sculptures thanks to the Department of Parks & Recreation, the Broadway Mall Association, and midtown’s Marlborough Gallery.
A public exhibition of 16 of Valdés’ art history-inspired bronze sculptures began on Thursday on the Broadway Mall stretching from Columbus Circle to 166th Street. As a unique educational bonus, each sculpture includes signage that displays mobile phone access numbers for a bilingual audio tour with informative descriptions of the works in both Spanish and English.
“Valdés’ work makes for great public art because it’s very sophisticated, but also very accessible to people who aren’t necessarily trained in art history,” said Janis Gardner Cecil, sales director at the Marlborough Gallery.
“We wrote the text for the audio tour based on the insights and ideas of the artist, so the audience can really listen about why he made these sculptures and what his direct influences were.”
Best known for his passion of such historically influential artists as Zurbarán, Velázquez, Matisse, and Lichtenstein, Valdés uses these artists’ work as inspiration to create his original aesthetic creations.
The influence of artistic masters in Valdés’ work of can be seen in his sculpture called “Ada” featured on 137th Street, according to Gardner Cecil. The sculpture consists of a woman’s head adorned with a beautiful formal baroque headpiece that is composed of bronze florets, which was directly inspired by two genres of Matisse paintings — his portraiture and his still life.
“While you can appreciate the piece without knowing this information, it’s a very interesting fact to know about it and your viewing experience can be enhanced by getting information like this by calling into the audio guide,” Gardner Cecil told DNAinfo.
In the one day since the exhibit has been open, the audio tour hotline has received hundreds of calls from area codes spanning 23 different states. A large portion of these calls has been made to the Spanish language audio channel, which is exciting for those involved in organizing the show, like Bettina Prentice, who does public relations for the gallery.
“It’s exciting to know that people in Spanish-speaking neighborhoods are getting involved and enjoying these works of art,” Prentice said.
The Manolo Valdés exhibition is on display from May 20, 2010 to Jan. 23, 2011. The number for the English audio tour is 212-901-3310.
