From his first exhibitions in the 1980s, Manuel Sáez's work has been characterised by his use of drawing and painting. Already, these early works form a unique collection, comprising objects drawn from everyday surroundings such as clothes hangers, babies' soothers, light bulbs, propellers and shoes. In his pictures, these motifs appear to come to life; they are imbued with an energy that takes the viewer to an illusory territory that has associations with the iconographic approach of artistic movements such as surrealism, and subsequent interpretations in cinema and graphic novels.
In 1990, Sáez won a scholarship to study at the Academy of Fine Arts, where he became interested in portraiture as a strategy for escaping that beauty that 'assails' viewers, enveloping them in a form of Stendhal syndrome. Just as he did in his still lifes, in his portraits Sáez uses close-ups, trapping the observer in a dreamlike imaginary. In methodological terms, he describes his works as 'small black holes in which to intervene repeatedly', series that extend over time without following any specific chronology.
Primavera verano de 1990 [Spring Summer 1990], in the Banco de España Collection, is an acrylic on canvas that is one of a group of works the artist painted in the 1990s on the theme of Architectures.
Manuel Sáez's work has been exhibited at institutions such as the Botanic Gardens of the University of Valencia (2017): the Fondazione Giorgio Cini (Venice, Italy, 2015); the Contemporary Art Centre of Malaga (2015); the Castellón Fine Arts Museum (2004); the Rufino Tamayo Museum (Mexico City, 2000); and the Círculo de Bellas Artes (Madrid, 1996).
From his first exhibitions in the 1980s, Manuel Sáez's work has been characterised by his use of drawing and painting. Already, these early works form a unique collection, comprising objects drawn from everyday surroundings such as clothes hangers, babies' soothers, light bulbs, propellers and shoes. In his pictures, these motifs appear to come to life; they are imbued with an energy that takes the viewer to an illusory territory that has associations with the iconographic approach of artistic movements such as surrealism, and subsequent interpretations in cinema and graphic novels.
In 1990, Sáez won a scholarship to study at the Academy of Fine Arts, where he became interested in portraiture as a strategy for escaping that beauty that 'assails' viewers, enveloping them in a form of Stendhal syndrome. Just as he did in his still lifes, in his portraits Sáez uses close-ups, trapping the observer in a dreamlike imaginary. In methodological terms, he describes his works as 'small black holes in which to intervene repeatedly', series that extend over time without following any specific chronology.
Primavera verano de 1990 [Spring Summer 1990], in the Banco de España Collection, is an acrylic on canvas that is one of a group of works the artist painted in the 1990s on the theme of Architectures.
Manuel Sáez's work has been exhibited at institutions such as the Botanic Gardens of the University of Valencia (2017): the Fondazione Giorgio Cini (Venice, Italy, 2015); the Contemporary Art Centre of Malaga (2015); the Castellón Fine Arts Museum (2004); the Rufino Tamayo Museum (Mexico City, 2000); and the Círculo de Bellas Artes (Madrid, 1996).