Andres Valencia: Painting Without Rules

Thirteen year old San Diego-based art prodigy Andres Valencia will have his 1st book/monograph Andres Valencia: Painting Without Rules published by DK Penguin Random House on Feb. 18 ($40, hardcover, 272 pages, 100 color illustrations). Painting since he was 5 years old and originally inspired by art his father collected, Andres is one of DK's youngest authors ever and his debut book is already one of the publisher's most pre-ordered winter titles (it's a beautiful coffee table book, something DK rarely does). Encouraging children’s artistic endeavors and young creatives all around the globe, with this book readers will step inside Andres’ studio to get a special look at his work and artistic universe: what inspires him, how he executes his artwork, and what creativity means to him as a young person. Andres has taken the art world by storm since making his debut at Art Miami in Dec. 2021 (the youngest artist ever exhibited). Since then, his large, dramatic, colorful figurative paintings influenced by George Condo, Picasso, and Cubism have gone from selling for $10k-$20k to now selling for $75k-$200k+ as he continues to develop as an artist, grow his worldwide following, and inspire the next generation of young artists globally by sharing videos of his paintings-in-process with his hundreds of thousands of fans online (Valencia often stands on a step ladder to create his large-scale works with a mix of oil stick, and oil & acrylic paint, seeking to create bold colors and wildly imaginative fragmented facial compositions).

In the past 3 years, Phillips has auctioned 5 of his works, and $500k of his work was sold in Miami during Art Week last month.

Some of his top collectors include Robbi & Bruce Toll, Jessica Goldman (CEO of Wynwood Walls/Goldman Properties), Ron Burkle (Chairman/Owner of Soho House), music executive Tommy Mottola, Jeffrey Eiserman (Co-Founder of SkinnyPop Popcorn), Alexander Orlov (Chairman/CEO of Bulldozer Group, billion dollar restaurant conglomerate based in Dubai), and Eugenio López Alonso, one of Mexico’s leading art collectors & entrepreneurs who in 2001 created the Fundación Jumex Arte Contemporáneo Museum of which he is President. Andres has also donated over $1 million of his art to several worthwhile charities like Global Gift Foundation, UNICEF, and amfAR, and with nearly 300k followers on his Instagram, some of his celebrity fans/collectors include Sofia Vergara, Eva Longoria, soccer star Sergio Ramos, music stars Thalia, V from BTS and Karol G. He recently painted Michael Strahan a portrait of music icon Aretha Franklin, and he announced his book Andres Valencia: Painting Without Rules with an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live last year.

Andres Valencia *Society Lady* (36 x 40, 2023)

This new book tells the story of this remarkable self-taught artist and sheds light on his creative process. Readers get an inside look at Andres working in his studio—mixing paint, sketching with oil pastels, and expressing his imagination on the canvas—until the large, wildly unique faces and bodies he’s known for come into form. An inspiring and heartwarming look at one of the most accomplished young artists in the world, this boldly colorful coffee table book also features a gallery of over 100 of Andres’ works and can be enjoyed by both casual creatives and serious artists of any age.

Based in San Diego and surrounded by art at home, Valencia is inspired by RETNA, Raphael Mazzucco, Salvador Dalí, and other artists his father began collecting about 10 years ago. Gazing for hours at a RETNA painting in his home, he began copying it over and over to hone his skills, augmenting his education by watching videos about painting. Painting daily from his home studio, Valencia also studies art history and sculpts at home, developing an interest in a wide-range of artists such as Gerhard Richter, Vincent van Gogh, Amedeo Modigliani, Francis Bacon, and Michelangelo. Valencia is drawn to those artists for their unique style. He often begins with small sketches, but lets his creative force take over once he begins work on a canvas, relying on his color wheel to guide him. Ideas strike him as he’s about to go to sleep, and he will get out of bed at 10pm to paint. Painting several canvases at any time, Valencia completes his works within about four days.