Sculptures By Manolo Valdes Adorn Bronx Botanical Garden

Manolo Valdés

On September 22, 2012, the New York Botanical Garden in Bronx welcomed a new collection of sculptures titled, Manolo Valdes: Monumental Sculpture, featuring seven fascinating pieces made from bronze, steel and aluminium.

The sculptures were designed by Spanish artist Manolo Valdes in his Manhattan studio, constructed in his Madrid foundry, and then shipped to Baltimore and driven to New York City in 20 trucks.

One of the main attractions is a 50-foot wide and 15-meter high sculpture, featuring a woman’s head surrounded by butterflies. It was inspired by one of the artist’s walks through Central Park where he witnessed a similar scene.

The immense dimensions of the sculptures were intentional to maximize their effect in the Botanical Gardens’ natural setting, according to Gregory Long, the Gardens’ chief executive. “The trees are 120-feet tall. Small works of art would not make any impact.", he said.

The artist says he drew intense inspiration from the Gardens themselves with the intense greenery reminding him of latticework found in parts of his native Spain.

More about the exhibit can be found here.