Manuel Monleón Burgos (1904–1976) - Composición con pan y jarra

The artwork is signed by the artist at the bottom.

The painting is presented unframed.

The condition of the work is good

Work dimensions: 81 x 65 cm.



Artist biography

Monleón Burgos, Manuel. Valencia, 23.2.1904 – Mislata (Valencia), 7.8.1976. Illustrator, poster artist and photomontage artist.

His first job, at just ten years old, was selling newspapers after leaving school. Two years later, he began working as an apprentice in Mariano Pérez's fan workshop, where he became interested in the visual arts. Around 1920, seduced by the naturist philosophy, he became a vegetarian and began practicing nudism and outdoor sports.

After completing his military service, he studied Esperanto at the University with Professor Capdevilla and later became an advocate and practitioner of this new language.

In 1929, he made his paintings known through two exhibitions held in Valencia and Barcelona. Shortly after, he was commissioned to create the covers of the magazine Cuadernos de Cultura. In 1932, he began using the airbrush and created his first color photomontages. That same year, he collaborated with the magazines Estudios and Orto and designed a collection of books entitled "Useful Advice on Natural Medicine."

In 1933, he joined the Union of Proletarian Writers and Artists, founded in Valencia, and participated with the photomontage ¡Atras la guerra imperialista! (Back to the Imperialist War!) in the Revolutionary Art exhibition held in Madrid and organized by Teresa León and Rafael Alberti.

From this point on, his activity was intense: he designed covers for magazines such as Nueva Cultura and Helios; illustrated the newspaper Verdad, edited by Max Aub; created propaganda posters for the Sindicalista Party, the UGT (Union of Workers' Unions), and the CNT-FAI (National Union of Workers' Unions); composed photomontages and illustrated books. He was also a member of the Sala Blava artist collective.

In 1937 he participated in the Spanish Pavilion at the Paris International Exposition, directed by his friend José Renau.

Between 1939 and 1942 he was imprisoned as a result of the Civil War.

In 1946 he designed the layout for the magazine Triunfo in Valencia.

In 1950, he moved to Colombia, where he remained until 1962, working as a publicist, magazine illustrator, and film poster designer. In 1962, he returned to Valencia and worked in an advertising agency until his retirement.

In 2004, an anthological exhibition on Monleón's life and work was held at the Valencian Library as a tribute, and a catalogue raisonné was published the following year.