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

A large-format oil and collage representing the stage of full material maturity of the Catalan artist Manel Pujol Baladas. A visceral and energetic work where the classical representation of still life is fractured to become a terrain of pure expressionist experimentation. Through an absolute mastery of texture and volume, the canvas captures the force of contemporary informalism, integrating material reality into the pictorial plane.

History and Curatorial Analysis

The Weight of the Spanish School and the Legacy of the Geniuses

The career of Manel Pujol Baladas (Vic, 1947) serves as a fundamental historical bridge between the Spanish avant-garde and contemporary art with international projection. Trained at the Massana School in Barcelona, his technical and conceptual development cannot be understood without comprehending his direct link with figures such as Joan Miró, Pablo Picasso, and Salvador Dalí. Pujol Baladas assimilated from these masters supreme technical skill and freedom before the easel. His relationship with Dalí was especially profound; Pujol Baladas's technical ability was so great that he actively collaborated in the pictorial execution of the Empordà master, perfectly mimicking his method. This absolute dexterity earned him the nickname "Dalí's forger" in the press of the time, a term that highlights his technical virtuosity before definitively breaking with academic figuration to explore his own material language.

Three-Dimensional Construction and Chromatic Tension

In "Bodegón uvas" (1990), Pujol Baladas rejects submission to classical form. The artist transforms the canvas into a three-dimensional object using a dense collage of newspaper sheets as a substrate. This material provides a rough, violent, and sculptural texture to the composition, introducing printed text as an anchor to everyday reality, clearly inheriting from Picasso's synthetic cubism. On this fractured base, he applies dense impastos through gestural execution. The grapes, glassware, and chilies are not outlined but are sculpted directly with the material. The palette of earth tones and shadows clashes head-on with bursts of vibrant reds and emerald greens, generating immense visual tension where light emanates from the paper's own reliefs.

Why is this piece an opportunity for your collection?

• Investment and Tax Valuation Argument: The work is accompanied by its original certificate of authenticity issued and signed by the artist (M.P.B. No. 0122). This document includes an official opinion with a value determined by the SAT (Mexican Tax Administration Service) of 400,000 Mexican pesos, equivalent to more than 20,000 euros. This institutionalized valuation provides a tangible value floor, eliminating speculation.

• Exclusive Collection: This painting is part of a closed and rigorously selected batch of 18 works certified by the artist, currently available at Acolección, offering the opportunity to acquire a coherent set to form the backbone of a private collection.

• Historical Pedigree: Acquiring this canvas means owning the work of an artist present in international museums (MAC Denver, Olympic Museum Lausanne) who absorbed his craft working directly in the environment of Dalí, Miró, and Picasso.

• Material Force and Format: With dimensions of 73 x 60 cm, the piece centralizes the gaze in any room. It brings together the best expression of Spanish material informalism through a powerful physicality.

Technical Data Sheet

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

• Title / Theme: Still life with grapes (Contemporary still life).

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

• Dimensions: Work: 73 x 60 cm (Format 20 F).

• Year: 1990.

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

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

• Documentation: Original Certificate of Authenticity (M.P.B. No. 0122) signed by the artist in 1990, including SAT Mexico valuation for 400,000 MXN (approx. 20,000 EUR).

• Condition: Good overall condition. The stretcher and canvas show the stability typical of a well-preserved work. The pictorial material and the base collage show firm adhesion and no detachment.

• 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

In the contemporary art market, it is highly unusual to find pieces where technical audacity is backed by financial certification of this nature. The fact that an official tax body has set the value of this work at over 20,000 euros makes this still life a safe-haven asset. Its value is twofold: the living history of a virtuoso master who painted for Dalí, encapsulated in a work of great aesthetic aggression, and a document that legitimizes it as an unquestionable patrimonial investment. Perfect for bold interior design and for collectors oriented towards profitability and historical rigor.