Untitled

Víctor Valera

Sculptor . He began studying art in Maracaibo in 1941 and in 1945 moved to Caracas where he enrolled at the School of Fine and Applied Arts (1948-1950 ), from which is expelled as a result of student strikes. In 1950 he joined the Free Art Workshop . In 1952 , with a modest scholarship , travels to Paris, where he joined the workshop of Jean and Victor Vasarely Dewasne . Make abstract paintings and works in the studio of Fernand Léger . Contact Robert Jacobsen , who encourages him to perform three-dimensional works in iron, material introduced into the Venezuelan sculpture. During this time investigating the problems of form and color in relation to virtual or real space. On his return to Caracas ( 1954 ) figurative works welding works . Getting their volumetric investigations, using sheet metal like fabric cut and recomposed ; from his apprenticeship in welding, perceived volume more from himself than from the outside. The result of this introspection is strong Aroa ( 1958 FGAN ) Annual Sculpture Prize Official Venezuelan Art Salon . Project joins the integration of art and architecture , designed by Carlos Raul Villanueva, the Ciudad Universitaria de Caracas ; from here , the integration of architecture and plastic will be established as one of the top vertices in creative inquiry Valera. All existing buildings of the Faculty of Humanities and Education at the UCV ( 1955-1956 ) , except for those located in the interior of the Library of the School of Psychology ceramic murals were created by Valera. In this building through the south door , on the walls of the hall are two murals. The left resembling a gigantic black tarpaulin background on which countless white lines produce optical vibrations. The right opposes a counteraction with its white background and black lines. Facing the audience , other graphic divided by a hallway , produce a dynamic action which in turn develops other radical centers black and yellow lines . At the east end of the same Faculty of Humanities are two other murals , one next to the ramp leading to the upper floor and one on the long wall that borders the Library of the School of Psychology . The composition of the former is based on the verticality of lines in yellow and white, with minimal resources to realize that this is a fine harmony. This same theme is repeated in the south wall of the ramp and the School of Law. The second wall consists of two compositional drawings attached to the wall in a horizontal composition , which form vertical angles graph bellows dynamic colors . Also produces two murals for the Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism of the University. James continues to work in iron and produces a sequence of images of one another multiform yet serials. Parts are beheaded or kept wrenching positions, or are victimized prisoners , with particular morphologies developing their poses and clothes that can shave assembly code intrinsic to all works produced . In the works of this time Repeat the figure, of the profiles and the heads of evidence. In 1963 held a solo exhibition (Sala Mendoza , Caracas ) and the following year he worked with the British sculptor Kenneth Armitage and a group of seven young sculptors Venezuelans Harry Abend , Max Pedemonte , Fernando Irazábal , Carlos Prada, Gilberto Manrique, Edgar Guinand and Alejandro Henriquez - in a workshop that lasted three months and at the end presented the exhibition Kenneth Armitage eight Venezuelans in the Museum of Fine Arts in Caracas sculptors. In 1966 became part of the Venezuelan delivery XXXIII Venice Biennale, in 1967 he won the IV Bienal Andres Armando Reveron and Couch ( FGAN ) by 1969 and works with tubular rods meaningful symbols. A second stage extends between the decades of the seventies and eighties, during which exploration takes light, Neo and kinetics . James makes his series of metal towers called Pierced Schemes , and the series of boxes (1972-73 ) . A geometrical rigor in these works but especially noteworthy is how certain geometric severity formally yields to the undulations given by planimetry and volumetry , indicating rapport achieved by his research in architecture and the maturity obtained in dealing with sculptural material . At this point , the viewer takes on a greater role , as James considers the virtual possibilities of certain embodiments , together with reflection and blurring of light , combined with the sensuality of the new forms and the monumental dimensions. In 1971, Valera entered as a teacher at the School of Plastic Arts Cristóbal Rojas, and the following year won first prize in the XXX Lounge Michelena of Valencia. Its integrated buildings work , include, among others, the first of two works located at the Venezuelan Institute for Scientific Research ( IVIC) . Perforated Papers are another important element in the embodiments of Valera during the eighties , which comes by the sensual and subtle handling of sculptural art that is not afraid to return to certain two-dimensional formulations : between ovals and crossed the line asymmetries observed by constructivist school; drilling through the obsession and fascination with light that hides the face is shaded light shows. For Victor Guédez , drilled Papers "do not represent a traumatic break with the syntactic and semantic terms of his sculptures , but rather marked by a continuation of a discourse coherence and authenticity of an affective infrastructure " (1984 ) . The main features of the work done in the 1980 's working with aggregates, which defines the baroque style of the new parts , the decanted seriality , polychrome and above , the recovery of volumetric parts that play a border territory between figurative and abstract , between the totem and science fiction . For Maria Elena Ramos , these objects appear to originate from readings of Jules Verne ; Enrique Viloria , objects are timeless because it can not decide if they are archaic remnants , archaeological objects , or small machines and appliances of the future. In any case , the artist presented in 1985 at the National Art Gallery , the exhibition Victor Valera and Halley's Comet , which proposes a lighthearted view of technological developments surrounding both routine life as the stars and outer space . Despite the technical and design changes that are introduced in his work , a property remains unchanged , the will to build a sense of syntactic , morphological way that has become a personal code, in an unmistakable artistic language. The National Art Gallery ( FGAN ) Foundation has de Valera, several works.

EXHIBITIONS
• 1961 : Paintings and Sculpture , College of Engineering , Caracas . College of Engineering , Maracaibo, Edo . Zulia.
• 1963: Exhibition Hall , Fundación Eugenio Mendoza, Caracas.
• 1965 : Pictorial Retrospective of the Work, Ateneo de Caracas.
• 1969: Sculptures in Current Study , Current Study , Caracas . House of Culture , Maracay, Edo . Aragua.
• 1973: Reliefs and Sculptures Current Study , Caracas . Reliefs and Sculpture , Studio Two , Valencia, Edo . Carabobo. Fine Arts Center , Maracaibo, Edo . Zulia.
• 1974 : Biblioteca Luis Angel Arango , Bogotá. Reliefs : 74 Current Study , Caracas .
• 1980: Perforated Papers , Current Study , Caracas .
• 1981: Sculptures, Current Study , Caracas .
• 1982 3 Sculptures: Tribute to the Popular Singers , National Art Gallery , Caracas. Actual Studio Gallery , Caracas. CentroARTE Park , Valencia, Edo . Carabobo.
• 1984 : Sculpture 1954-1984 , Museum of Contemporary Art in Caracas.
• 1985: Victor Valera and Comet Halley, National Art Gallery , Caracas. Retrospective Victor Valera, Fine Arts Center , Maracaibo, Edo . Zulia. Voices for Reading Room IPOSTEL west extension , Museum of Contemporary Art in Caracas. Voices for Reading, Bar , Maracaibo, Edo . Zulia. Voices for Reading, Bogotá.
• 1986: Ateneo de Cumana, Edo . Sucre.
• 1987: Eccentric Columns to demarcate an American Space Gallery Durban, Caracas.
• 1989 : In the Valley of the Quetzal , Gallery Unlimited , San Cristobal, Edo . Táchira.
• 1990: Voices for Reading Municipal Museum of Graphic Arts, Maracaibo, Edo . Zulia.
• 1991 : Voices for Reading, Museum of Modern Art in Merida , Edo . Mérida.
• 1992 : Ways to Play , Museum of Contemporary Art in Caracas Sofia Imber .
• 1993 : Text of Chilam Balam, Gallery Durban, Caracas.
• 1994 : Papers Perforated and Photomontages , Attach Room , Contemporary Art Museum, Francisco Narvaez, Porlamar , Edo . Nueva Esparta. Perforated Papers and Photomontages , Museum of Contemporary Art Marío Abreu , Maracay, Edo . Aragua.
• 1996 : In the Valley of the Quetzales . Gallery Durban, Caracas.
• 1997 : Cutting the Square : Victor Valera, small and medium format , Alternative Living , Caracas.
• 1998 : Works 1993-1996 , PDV Gallery , Caracas.

AWARDS
• 1955 : Third Prize (Painting ), II Lounge D' Empaire Painting , Maracaibo, Edo . Zulia.
• 1956 : First Prize (Painting ) , III Lounge D' Empaire Painting , Maracaibo, Edo . Zulia.
• 1957 : First Prize , Salon I Abstract Art , Caracas .
• 1958 : National Sculpture Prize , XIX Annual Official Hall of Venezuelan Art , Museum of Fine Arts, Caracas.
• 1962 : First Prize in Sculpture , Second Annual Hall of the House of Culture of Aragua , Maracay, Edo . Aragua. University of Carabobo, XX Arts Salon Arturo Michelena , Ateneo de Valencia, Edo . Award Carabobo. Julio Morales Lara Award, XX Arts Salon Arturo Michelena , Ateneo de Valencia, Edo . Carabobo.
• 1964: First Prize in Sculpture , I Salon of Young Artists , Museum of Fine Arts, Caracas. Zulia State Executive Award ( Sculpture ), X Lounge D' Empaire Painting , Maracaibo, Edo . Zulia.
• 1965 : Second Prize for Sculpture , Painting and Sculpture Competition Pegasus Mobil de Venezuela, Caracas.
• 1967: Single Award, Armando Reveron IV Biennial , Museum of Fine Arts, Caracas.
• 1969: Julio Morales Lara Prize XXVII Arts Salon Arturo Michelena , Ateneo de Valencia, Edo . Carabobo. First Prize for Sculpture , XII Lounge D' Empaire , Maracaibo, Edo . Zulia.
• 1972: Award Arturo Michelena , XXX Arts Salon Arturo Michelena , Ateneo de Valencia, Edo . Carabobo.
• 1983: First Prize , I Narváez Francisco Sculpture Biennial , Museum of Contemporary Art Francisco Narvaez, Porlamar , Edo . Nueva Esparta.
• 1984: IBA Best Artist of the Year Award Caracas .
• 1986: Juan Lovera Award, Visual Arts Lounge XLIV Arturo Michelena , Ateneo de Valencia, Edo . Carabobo.

COLLECTIONS
• Ateneo de Valencia, Edo . Carabobo.
• Central Bank of Colombia , Bogotá.
• Municipal District Council Maracaibo , Maracaibo, Edo . Zulia.
• National Art Gallery Foundation , Caracas, Distrito Federal .
• Hilton Hotel Caracas , Caracas, Distrito Federal .
• Sheraton Hotel Messenger , Messenger , Vargas State .
• National Housing Institute , INAVI , Maracaibo, Edo . Zulia.
• Venezuelan Institute for Scientific Research , IVIC , Altos de Pipe, Edo . Miranda.
• Maraven , Caracas, Distrito Federal .
• Museo Andrés Pérez Mujica , Valencia, Edo . Carabobo.
• Museum of Contemporary Art in Caracas Sofia Imber , Caracas, Distrito Federal .
• Museum of Contemporary Art Francisco Narvaez, Porlamar , Edo . Nueva Esparta.
• Museum of Modern Art Jesús Soto , Ciudad Bolivar , Edo . Bolívar .
• Museum of Modern Art , Bogotá, Colombia .
• Museum of Modern Art in Merida , Edo . Mérida.
• Museum of Fine Arts, Caracas, Distrito Federal .
• Apostolic Nunciature in Caracas, Caracas, Distrito Federal .
• Park of Citizenship , Maracaibo, Edo . Zulia.
• Park Rómulo Betancourt , Caracas, Distrito Federal .
• Walk Sciences , Maracaibo, Edo . Zulia.
• Fine Arts Theatre , Maracaibo, Edo . Zulia.
• Pan American Union , Washington DC, USA .
• Central University of Venezuela , Caracas, Distrito Federal .
• University of Zulia , Maracaibo, Edo . Zulia

AUDIO-VISUAL DOCUMENTS CONCERNING THE ARTIST
• The Venezuelan Constructive Art , Genesis and Development 1945-1965 . Art Series Part II , Journal Lagoven ( Betacam / color / sound / Spanish / 50 min . ) . Address: Manuel Pedro , Production: Cochano Films. Caracas, 1986 Location: Media Division - PDVSA. .
• Victor Valera. Art Series , Journal Lagoven ( Betacam / color / sound / Spanish / 25 min . ) . Address: Sergio Sierra , Production: Studio 3 Productions Caracas, 1987 Location: Media Division - PDVSA. . .

SOURCES
• CINAP , FGAN , V 5
• Guédez , Victor, " Heuristic connotations and symbolic lyrics of Perforated Papers in Victor Valera: Sculpture 1954-1984 (Cat. exp. ), Caracas Museum of Contemporary Art in Caracas, 1984.
• Rodríguez , Belgium, Brief history of contemporary sculpture , Caracas, Fundarte , 1979.
• Victor Valera: Sculpture 1954-1984 (Cat. exp. ) Caracas Museum of Contemporary Art in Caracas, 1984 HCG