manel àlvarez

HOCKADAY MUSEUM of ART

STEP by STEP

STEP by STEPby manel àlvarez

Thank you to our generous sponsors who made this show possible.Presenting Sponsors

Pacific Steel & RecyclingAirWorks Inc.

Supporting Sponsors

Carolynn & Dr. Steve MilheimJean S. HagelScott D. HagelAlex & Margene BerryScott & Jane WheelerRoger & Mary BarberRandy & Gini OgleRob Akey

Acknowledgements

Malisani Inc.Linda MalisaniJoan UriachFundacio Privada Vila CasasJavier PerisFrancisco TriginerJoan Uriach iTorellóJosep CanalsCopisteria Esteba. Esteba.SergiIsabel Cruellas

Design and Artwork

Manel ÀlvarezJennifer Golan Graphic Design

Photographers

Linda MalisaniManel Àlvarez

Translations

Sam Larner

Printing

Smartpress

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Contents

Introduction .......................................................................7

About the Artist .................................................................8

Artist Statement ................................................................9

American Native Nations .......................................... 10-33

Made in Montana .......................................................34-41

Africa ........................................................................... 42-53

The Old Testament .....................................................54-59

Spain .......................................................................... 60-69

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Introduction

It is such an honor to host artist Manel Àlvarez of Barcelona, Spain, and his exhibit, Manel Àlvarez: Step by Step at the Hockaday Museum of Art.

Àlvarez is a world-renowned masterful sculptor whose passion and intensity shines in every piece he creates. His early studies in Spain and Italy gave him a strong base in statue making, religious images, relief work, busts and ornamental carving. Manel prefers to work in stone, wood, iron, and bronze, but is not limited to those materials alone. His work, which also includes drawings, watercolors, and mixed media, incorporates the use of forms and lines, combined with a sense of history and rich narrative, and the artist’s own inspirations and expressions.

Manel’s exhibitions and public monument commissions have taken him throughout Europe, Mexico, Brazil, and the Middle East. In the United States, he has shown in such cities as New York, San Francisco, and Houston. In 1996, he was commissioned to create two sculptures in conjunction with the International Olympic Games in Atlanta.

The Hockaday was first introduced to Manel in 2015 at the Paris Gibson Square Museum, in Great Falls, Montana at his show Manel Àlvarez: A Journey. Here we learned of his link to Montana through his wife, Linda Malisani, a Great Falls native, and of his desire to pay tribute to her hometown and state through his art.

Àlvarez has continued his Montana connection in Kalispell at the Hockaday Museum of Art. Step by Step includes new works created in Montana from locally sourced materials. Many are influenced by his studies of the Blackfeet and

other Native tribes of the West. There are also a number of pieces from his earlier collections, The Old Testament and Africa, to provide a broader experience in his art.

I would like to thank the many individuals and businesses who have helped make this opportunity a reality, in particular, Carolynn and Dr. Steve Milheim for opening their home to Manel, Bill and Diane Yarus of AirWorks Inc. for use of studio space, and Pacific Steel and Recycling for their donated time and materials. I would also like to thank Linda Malisani and the entire Malisani family in Great Falls for their contributions towards the success of this exhibition.

Last, but certainly not least, I would like to thank Manel for his commitment, inspirations, and hard work, all of which are reflected in his exhibition, and for his generous donation of his work, “bison” to the Hockaday’s outdoor sculpture collection. His tributes to Montana are to be cherished, and all of us at the Hockaday are privileged to be a part of his story.

Sincerely,

Tracy JohnsonExecutive DirectorHockaday Museum of Art

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I consider myself a classic sculptor in the sense that I use traditional materials and meth-ods of working. Mainly I work in stone, wood, iron and bronze. I could also describe myself as an eclectic sculptor because I will use whatev-er material or technique necessary to express myself or to develop an idea. I continue to try new techniques and to work with materials that I have never used before.

My pieces are easily recognizable because I have developed a style that is unique in the forms and lines. I try to convey a sense of weightless-ness through the use of line. The lines define the volumes and create the rhythm which gives this illusion. It is a personal style which has evolved over 40 years and continues to do so.

My greatest inspiration is the beauty in everyday life. I find inspiration while travelling and from life experiences. At random, something makes an impact on me and I am inspired. Imme-diately I begin to sketch an idea which will later become a sculpture. I attempt to capture the es-sence or the energy of an object and try to give birth to the spirit; the soul of an object.

Some of the themes which have inspired me are bullfighting, torsos, birds, the feminine figure and Africa. African art was the inspiration for many great artists at the end of the 19th and for most of the 20th century. I created a person-al and contemporary vision of what African art is to me as well as offer a certain tribute to this art.

After completing “Africa” I began another series based in The Old Testament. It is a theme carried over from my childhood which is rich in narrative. I studied and immersed myself in the subject to have a more profound understanding before creating pieces. It has been rewarding because of the challenges that each piece has presented not only in the design but in finding the perfect solution with the materials to reflect what I want to express.

I am so passionate about what I do because I never stop learning.

Manel Àlvarez

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At the end of 2016, I signed a contract with the Hockaday Museum of Art that obligates both parties to present an exhibition of my work on the upcoming 8th of June in Kalispell. I said that the contract “obligates us” when I should have said that this agreement has made us very excited.

For those of us who are dedicated to this profession-which is also our passion- it is always encouraging to have an upcoming exhibition. I must say that when I start the process of creating a work, it does not influence me in the least that the museum or gallery to which it is destined has already shown my sculptures in previous events or as in this case, the public that visits does not have previous references of my work. In fact, it is not the first time that I have presented my work in Montana, but, it is in Kalispell. For this reason, I have decided to offer a retrospective exhibition of my previous collections. Thus, those who see it will have an approximate sample of my career. My intention is always to give the best of myself and to try to connect with people through their history, culture and traditions so as to make my work relevant and more understandable. I have produced a collection of pieces inspired by the native settlers of these lands, who made up such important nations at the time, such as the Black-feet, Cree or Crow.

This project that now sees the light has been in my mind for some time. I had to find the right moment, the mode and the energy necessary to carry it out. Now it has arrived. I have all the mo-tivation and without a doubt, this is the perfect place. I am very excited and I think it will be a great experience because the first results confirm that I am on the right track. All this excites me. And it invites me to work with greater intensity.

I want to confess that when I showed the first sketches of this collection to one of my friends, his first reaction was to smile softly. I do not think it was by surprise. I think rather, that it was pleasant to recover a certain past. Also, for me, it brings me back to my childhood. The works evoke memories of my childhood when we were excited about the stories of the far west told by geniuses like John Ford, Sam Peckinpah, Howard Hawks, Raoul Walsh and many others ...... like Clint Eastwood, in more recent times. By the way, if someone told me that one of my pieces refers to a trivial or somewhat banal subject, I would re-ply, confidently, that there are no important and insignificant themes. There are themes success-fully resolved or poorly resolved.

There are masterpieces of Western Art in museums of great prestige throughout the coun-try. I am honored that they have chosen my work now. It is the result of a contemporary and person-al vision. I hope you like it. Interpret it as a homage to your land and your culture and also as proof of my affection and gratitude.

STEP by STEP

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American Native Nations

cold night. 2015 watercolor and charcoal

bison. 2017 watercolor12

studio for a bison. 2016 watercolor and charcoal 13

papoose . 2017 watercolor and charcoal14

the explorer. 2017 watercolor and charcoal. studio 15

warrior. 2017 watercolor 16

young girl. 2017 watercolor 17

bison. 2016 the maquette iron18

bison. 2016 the maquette iron 19

the explorer. 2017 bronze20

the explorer. 2017 bronze 21

warrior. 2017 bronze22

warrior. 2017 bronze 23

warrior. 2017 bronze24

warrior. 2017 bronze 25

young girl. 2017 Bardiglio marble, iron and bronze26

young girl. 2017 Bardiglio marble, iron and bronze 27

young girl. 2017 Bardiglio marble, iron and bronze28

young girl. 2017 Bardiglio marble, iron and bronze 29

papoose. 2017 Carrara marble and iron30

papoose. 2017 Carrara marble and iron 31

torso of the warrior. 2017 Bardiglio marble and Roman travertine32

shield. 2017 Belgian black marble 33

Made In Montana

torso. 2015 Montana travertine, granite and iron 37

torso. 2015 Montana serpentine and bronze 38

torso. 2015 Montana serpentine and bronze 39

torso. 2015 Montana serpentine and iron40

torso. 2015 carrara marble and iron 41

Africa

the queen. 2015 mixed technique44

the king. 2015 mixed technique 45

the queen. 2003 Belgian black marble46

the king. 2003 Belgian black marble 47

exercises on the floor. 1999 teak and iron48

ocell de riu. 1997 Carrara marble and granite 49

torso of a warrior. 1999 Calatorao marble50

anonimo. 1999 Calatorao marble 51

torso. 1999 Bardiglio marble52

personaje luna. 2007 red Persian travertine and iron 53

The Old Testament

Tribe of Issachar “Sun and Moon”. 2007 Persian travertine, Bardiglio marble and iron56

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jerico. 2015 Carrara marble, granite and iron58

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Spain

toro. 2015 charcoal62

toro. 2015 mixed media on wood 63

seed. 2015 mixed media on wood64

seed. 2014 serigraph 65

small torso. 2015 carbon fiber66

seed. 2014 serigraph

Manel Àlvarez creating the Old Testament piece “Moses” 2009, Bolondo wood, iron and aluminum.

Working

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STEP by STEPmanel àlvarez

302 2nd Ave E, Kalispell, MT 59901 | 406.755.5268 | www.hockadaymuseum.org