Manel Pujol Baladas | "Blue Potato Still Life" | Mixed Media and Collage on Canvas (1990) | Collection of 18 Certified Works

A large-format oil and collage piece representing the material culmination of Catalan artist Manel Pujol Baladas. A visceral work dominated by a deep palette of blues and blacks, where the classical representation of still life disintegrates to make way for pure expressionist experimentation. Through an absolute mastery of texture, the canvas captures the force of informalism, integrating clippings of journalistic reality into the pictorial plane.

History and Curatorial Analysis

The weight of the Spanish School and the legacy of geniuses

The trajectory of Manel Pujol Baladas (Vic, 1947) constitutes a fundamental link between the historical Spanish avant-garde and international contemporary art. Trained at the rigorous Escola Massana in Barcelona, his technical and conceptual development is intrinsically linked to his direct and personal relationship with the three peaks of 20th-century Spanish art: Joan Miró, Pablo Picasso, and Salvador Dalí. Pujol Baladas was not a mere observer; he assimilated from these masters supreme technique and audacity in facing the canvas.

His bond with Salvador Dalí was particularly intense and formative. Pujol Baladas' technical skill reached such a level of virtuosity that he actively collaborated in the pictorial execution within the workshop of the master from Empordà, perfectly mimicking his glazes and drawing precision. This absolute mastery of the craft earned him the nickname "Dalí's forger" in the press of the time, a media epithet that, far from discrediting him, evidenced his unique ability to replicate genius before consciously breaking with academic figuration to forge his own identity in material informalism.

The disintegration of form and the use of collage

In "Bodegón patatas azul" (Blue Potatoes Still Life) (1990), Pujol Baladas abandons all subservience to classical lines. The artist transforms the canvas into an almost sculptural relief, using a dense collage of newspaper sheets as its structural base. A detailed analysis of the work reveals legible fragments of classified ads and real estate offers from Barcelona (mentioning streets like Aragón or Provenza), introducing local printed text as a physical and temporal anchor to everyday reality.

Over this topography of wrinkled paper, the artist applies violent impastos of pictorial material. The elements suggesting the title—the potatoes and the containers—are not outlined, but sculpted directly with a palette knife and broad brush. The composition is dominated by a cold and turbulent palette of ultramarine blues, sky blues, and deep blacks, creating a visual vortex where light is not painted, but physically bounces off the ridges of the dry oil and the furrows of the paper.

Why is this piece an opportunity for your collection?

• Investment and Tax Valuation Argument: The work comes with its original certificate of authenticity (M.P.B. No. 0123) issued and signed by the artist. This document includes an official appraisal with a value determined by the SAT (Mexican Tax Administration Service) of 460,000 Mexican pesos, equivalent to approximately 23,140 euros. Having an institutionalized valuation by the Treasury eliminates speculation and provides a tangible safe-haven asset.

• Exclusive Collection: This painting is part of a closed and rigorously selected lot of 18 works certified by the artist, currently available at Acolección, allowing the buyer to articulate a coherent collecting line by acquiring several pieces from the same period.

• Historical Pedigree: Acquiring this canvas means owning a fragment of the living history of Spanish art, executed by an artist with a presence in international museums who forged his technique working side-by-side with Dalí, Miró, and Picasso.

• Chromatic Power and Format: With dimensions of 65 x 80 cm, its pronounced horizontal format and the dramatic intensity of its blues make it an overwhelming piece, capable of architecturally dominating any space.

Technical Data Sheet

• Artist: Manel Pujol Baladas (b. 1947).

• Title / Theme: Bodegón patatas azul (Abstract Contemporary Still Life).

• Technique and Support: Mixed media and material collage (newspaper) on canvas.

• Dimensions: 65 x 80 cm.

• Year: 1990.

• Signature: Signed "M. Pujol Baladas" in the lower left corner.

• Provenance: Private collection (Part of a set of 18 exclusive certified works).

• Documentation: Original Certificate of Authenticity (M.P.B. No. 0123) signed by the artist in 1990, including SAT Mexico appraisal for 460,000 MXN (approx. 23,140 EUR).

• Condition: Good overall condition. The dense pictorial impasto shows natural craquelure and surface tension inherent to this extreme material technique, maintaining firm adhesion to the support.

• Inspection Guarantee: 3 calendar days guaranteed return to inspect the work in person and verify its pictorial and documentary quality at Acolección.

The Workshop Note

Finding a contemporary still life that combines such a profound dramatic charge with such significant financial backing is exceptional. Blue is not a docile color in material painting; here, Pujol Baladas masters it to create a monumental work. The fact that the SAT has valued this piece at over 23,000 euros certifies that we are not just looking at an aesthetic exercise by an artist historically linked to Dalí, but a solid patrimonial asset. It is an indispensable acquisition for a collector seeking validated profitability, historical rigor, and a powerful avant-garde aesthetic.