Abigail Varela

ABIGAIL VARELA (Caracas - Venezuela, 1948).
Untitled.
Bronze. Exemplary P.A 1/4.
Attached certificate of authenticity issued by the artist.
Signed and justified.
Measurements: 152 x 70 x 40 cm.
The piece is a bronze sculpture representing a female figure with voluminous forms and wide curves. The figure has a robust body with prominent hips and thighs, in contrast to an elongated and slender torso. The facial features are minimal and stylized, giving her an abstract and modern appearance. The pose suggests stability and a certain grace in movement, combining weight and lightness in its structure. This piece is characteristic of the style of Abigail Varela, who explores femininity in sculptural forms that evoke both strength and softness.
Abigail Varela is a leading Venezuelan visual artist, known primarily for her bronze sculptures depicting abstract female figures with a modern twist and inspired by pre-Columbian art, capturing poses that evoke dynamism. Varela began his artistic training under the guidance of Japanese ceramist Hiroshi Kawagiri, complementing his apprenticeship at various art academies in Caracas. His production includes large flat profile sculptures, which evolve into dark polished bronzes and solid aluminum pieces.
The central theme in Varela's work is femininity, expressed through voluminous forms that convey lightness and movement. His figures have been compared to the famous Venus of Willendorf, and many of his sculptures have a subtle touch of humor. Varela's work has achieved renown both in Venezuela and internationally, with exhibitions in cities such as New York (Katharina Rich Perlow Gallery), London (Cynthia Bourne Gallery), San Salvador (Espacio Gallery), Coral Gables (Freites-Revilla Gallery) and Boca Raton (Elaine Baker Gallery), among others. In 2014, his art was the subject of a retrospective at the BOD Center in Caracas and, in 2018, his work was selected for the show "Tiempos y Tendencias de la Escultura Latinoamericana" at the CAF gallery in Caracas.
His pieces have been the subject of analysis in essays and books, and are part of important art collections in Venezuela, such as the Galería de Arte Nacional (Caracas), the Museo de Arte Contemporáneo, the Fundación Empresas Polar and the Fundación Cultural Chacao. They are also in open space museums in Mérida, Valencia, Aroa and Margarita Island in Venezuela, as well as in Huelva (Spain) and the Suncheon Bay National Garden in South Korea. In 2014, Varela was awarded the Omar Carreño Prize for Plastic Arts, granted by the Venezuelan College of Architects and the National Association of Plastic Artists. Her name appears in renowned artist directories such as ULAN, Artnet, Christie's, Benezit, as well as in reference works such as Marta Traba's Art of Latin America and Leonard's Latin American Art Price Index.