Manel Pujol Baladas | "Still life with fish, book, and bottle" | Mixed Media and Collage on Canvas (1992) | Collection of 18 Certified Works

A large format horizontal oil and collage that consolidates the expressionist maturity stage of the Catalan artist Manel Pujol Baladas. A visceral work where the traditional still life is subjected to an aggressive material deconstruction. Through the intensive use of newspaper collage and thick strokes, the canvas transcends flat painting to become a three-dimensional object, loaded with visual force, intellectual symbolism, and historical weight.

History and Curatorial Analysis

The weight of the Spanish School and the legacy of geniuses

The career of Manel Pujol Baladas (Vic, 1947) constitutes a fundamental link between the historical Spanish avant-gardes and contemporary art with international projection. Trained at the rigorous Massana School in Barcelona, his technical and conceptual development is intimately 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 spectator; he assimilated from them supreme technique and absolute audacity when facing the canvas.

His bond with Salvador Dalí was especially intense and formative. Pujol Baladas' technical skill reached such a level of virtuosity that he actively collaborated in the pictorial execution within the master's own workshop in Empordà, perfectly mimicking his stroke. 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 detracting from his merit, evidenced his unparalleled technical ability. This stage of assimilation was the indispensable preliminary step before consciously breaking with figuration to forge his own identity in material informalism.

Structure, texture, and the symbolism of knowledge

In "Bodegón pescado, libro y botella" (1992), Pujol Baladas subjects the still life to a resounding conceptualization. The artist transforms the canvas using a dense newspaper collage as a structural base, where the printed text is partially exposed, introducing everyday reality into the composition in clear inheritance of synthetic cubism.

On this complex topography, the author aggressively traces the figurative elements with thick black outlines. The vibrant blue fish, the translucent bottle and, as a central axis, an open book whose blank pages violently contrast with the earthy background. This intellectual quest is confirmed by a revealing handwritten inscription by the author on the reverse of the work: "no en tenia prou amb lo que ja sabia" (I didn't have enough with what I already knew). A declaration of principles that gives the piece immense psychological depth about creative dissatisfaction and the thirst for knowledge.

Why is this piece an opportunity for your collection?

• Investment and Tax Valuation Argument: The greatest commercial asset of this piece is its imposing financial protection. The work comes with its original certificate of authenticity (M.P.B. No. 0126) issued and signed by the author. This document incorporates an official ruling with a value determined by the SAT (Mexican Tax Administration Service) of 700,000 Mexican pesos, equivalent to approximately 35,210 euros. Having an institutionalized valuation by the Treasury for this high amount eliminates speculation and provides an unquestionable asset value refuge.

• Exclusive Collection: This painting is part of a closed and rigorously selected lot of 18 works certified by the author, currently available at El Taller del Coleccionista, which allows the buyer to articulate a highly coherent collecting line.

• Historical Pedigree and Uniqueness: Acquiring this canvas means owning a fragment of the living history of Spanish art, executed by an author who forged his technique working hand in hand with Dalí. The conceptual inscription on the reverse makes it a unique piece within his production.

• Format and Presence: With horizontal dimensions of 75 x 105 cm, the piece exerts an expansive and resounding visual dominance, ideal for presiding over large architectural spaces.

Technical Data Sheet

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

• Title / Theme: Still life of fish, book, and bottle.

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

• Dimensions: 75 x 105 cm.

• Year: 1992.

• Signature and Inscriptions: Signed and dated on the front. On the reverse, autograph inscription in graphite: "no en tenia prou amb lo que ja sabia".

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

• Documentation: Original Certificate of Authenticity (M.P.B. No. 0126) signed by the author, including SAT Mexico valuation for 700,000 MXN (approx. 35,210 EUR).

• Condition: Excellent general condition. The dense pictorial impasto and the underlying collage maintain a firm adherence to the original support.

• Inspection Guarantee: 3 natural days for guaranteed return to inspect the work in person and verify its spectacular pictorial and documentary quality at El Taller del Coleccionista.

The Workshop's Note

Finding a contemporary painting that combines such deep symbolic charge with financial backing of this magnitude is exceptional. The fact that the SAT has officially valued this piece at over 35,000 euros certifies that we are dealing with a top-tier asset. The discovery of the inscription on the reverse elevates this work beyond a mere aesthetic exercise, revealing the inquisitive soul of an artist who absorbed the methods of Dalí and Picasso. It is a capital piece, with an overwhelming aesthetic and masterful execution, indispensable for institutional or private collectors who demand guaranteed profitability, historical rigor, and intellectual depth.