OmenaArt
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In the settings of the Wilanów Palace and gardens, Manolo Valdés’s sculptures of Reina Mariana and the Infanta Margarita find a very fitting home. Valdés has a passion for the baroque and the trappings of royalty, and is most famous for his series of works based on Diego de Velázquez’s portraits of the queens and princesses of the Spanish Royal court.

Here in the Baroque gardens at Wilanów, we meet Mariana of Austria, the second wife of King Philip IV of Spain, and her daughter the Infanta Margarita Teresa. Philip IV was Velázquez’s greatest patron and one of the most important monarchs of the Spanish Golden Age, and both Reina Mariana and Infanta Margarita are depicted in Velázquez’s most celebrated painting, Las Meninas. Indeed, Las Meninas is one of the greatest masterpieces of the Spanish Baroque period.

In both cases, the silhouettes of the Queen and Infanta are enhanced, while the finer features of their face and dress are simplified to emphasise the overwhelming sensation of this regal female figure taking up space. In focusing on volume over expressive detail, he creates evocations of feminine power and nobility that are formidable and very present.

The sleek yet durable aluminium of Reina Mariana has light reflecting qualities that shine and play with their surroundings; whilst Infanta Margarita is rendered in resin, more painterly material built up layer by layer, bringing a smoothness and organic qualities of skin and fabric. Both material choices jolt Velázquez’s 17^th century into dialogue with the industrial materials and techniques of our time.

Manolo Valdés (b. 1942) is a Spanish artist, working in paint, sculpture, and mixed media. In 1964, he co-founded the influential group Equipo Crónica, known for its narrative approach and critique of the Franco regime. After the group’s dissolution in 1981, Valdés embarked on a solo career, reinterpreting masterpieces by artists like Velázquez and Matisse. His works have been exhibited globally, including at the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao and the Museo Reina Sofía in Madrid. Valdés represented Spain at the 1999 Venice Biennale, and his art is part of prominent collections like Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Centre Pompidou in Paris, and the Kunstmuseum in Berlin. His monumental sculptures have been displayed in public spaces globally, such as Place Vendôme in Paris (2016), the City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia (2017) and St. Mark’s Square in Venice (2024).