Manuel Monleón

MANUEL MONLEÓN, (Valencia, 1904 - Mislata, 1976).
"La treille", 1972.
Oil on canvas.
Signed and dated in the lower right corner.
Provenance: From the private collection of the author's family.
Measurements: 70 x 86.50 cm, 72 x 88 cm (frame).

Manuel Monleón was a renowned Spanish poster artist, illustrator and graphic designer, as well as an active Esperantist. Born into a family of farmers, Monleón began his artistic career painting miniatures and fans. His youth was marked by his interest in Esperanto, nudism and anarchism, collaborating in various cultural and political magazines.

Monleón was part of the circle of graphic artists led by Josep Renau and other prominent Valencian artists. During the Spanish Civil War, he designed posters for various trade union and political organizations, and collaborated with anti-fascist publications. His political commitment led him to be arrested in 1939 and to spend three years in Franco's prisons and forced labor camps.

After his release in 1946, he worked in the layout of the magazine Triunfo and founded an advertising company. He emigrated to Colombia in 1951 and then to Venezuela in 1958, where he continued his career in advertising and graphic art. He returned to Spain in 1962, where he devoted himself to painting until his death in 1976.

Monleón's artistic style is characterized by the use of the airbrush, the female nude and diagonal compositions. His work was honored in 2004 by the University of Valencia in the monograph Manuel Monleón Diseño y Vanguardia.