Oiseau et Étoile, 1997

Martín Duque  

Each sculpture is a fragment of life immortalized in bronze, an instant suspended in time that speaks to us in silence.

Luis J. Martín Duque, born in Madrid in 1967, is a sculptor and painter with a consolidated career within contemporary realism. From an early age he showed an interest in art, which led him to study Fine Arts at the Complutense University of Madrid, where he perfected his mastery of drawing and sculpture under the tutelage of outstanding masters. During his formative years, he was inspired by the great classical sculptors and the artistic wealth of Madrid, absorbing influences from Velázquez, Goya and Rodin, among others. This period allowed him to develop a refined technique and a deep understanding of volume and human anatomy, aspects that have defined his work over the years. A graduate in Fine Arts from the Complutense University of Madrid, his work is characterized by a meticulous hyperrealistic technique that captures the movement, expression, and essence of the human figure in stunning detail. His mastery of proportion and volume allows him to accurately represent the weight and tension of the human body, achieving sculptures that seem to come to life before the viewer's gaze.

An outstanding student of the renowned Madrid painter Antonio López, he is inspired by scenes of everyday life, Martín Duque manages to make his sculptures transcend the static to transmit a sense of latent life. His characters, endowed with a restrained but powerful expressiveness, evoke the presence of the human being in its most authentic state. His mastery of bronze allows him to capture textures and gestures that defy the limits of matter, turning each work into a faithful representation of the human character and its emotional diversity.

Martín Duque combines his admiration for classical figurative sculpture with a contemporary sensibility. Among his most outstanding works are figures in motion, such as the iconic "Walking Man" or the subtle "Synthesis of Woman". In addition, he has reinterpreted classics of art in bronze, such as "The Thinker" or "The Kiss", giving them a new perspective without losing their essence. In his Meninas, for example, he reinterprets Velázquez's masterpiece  with a unique style that endows the figure with modernity and freshness, while maintaining its classical spirit.

His work has been exhibited in prestigious galleries and international art fairs, consolidating himself as an essential artist within the contemporary sculptural scene. In addition to his work in sculpture, he has also developed a pictorial facet in which he explores realism with an impressive wealth of detail. His ability to capture light and texture on the canvas reinforces his mastery of figurative representation, generating a visual coherence between his pictorial and sculptural work.