The Habano of the Year Award Sculptor

As the designing father of this trophy statuette, the Cuban artist is very proud of having built what many consider to be the Oscar Awards that the Habano world doles out to recognize a job well done in the promotion and development of the best Cuban tobacco in such categories as business, communication and production of the most prestigious Cuban product.

When Habanos S.A. made the call for the creation of this sculpture, “it was quite a challenge because I was to make it show the symbiosis between man and Habano, between the elegance and the quality this world is marked by,” Valladares recalls. Since then and at a time when the award turns the tender age of 15, as many as fifty of these silver statuettes have been made. Despite sticking to the same idea and design, they are never totally alike because each and every one of them is handmade. “Thus, each award winner treasures an exclusive and unique work of art,” he adds. Following his creation, Valladares tried his hand at making humidors and for several editions built the ones for the Cohiba brand for the Habano Festival’s closing auction. This time around, the silversmith and sculptor has come up with the Robaina humidor, a bold design made of cedar, silver, brass and Carrara marble in deserved tribute to the mystic Cuban tobacco planter. He admits to be pleased and says “I never thought my work could be valued by such personalities as Fidel Castro, Steven Spielberg, Jeremy Irons, the Emir of Qatar, the king of Spain and Presidents Hugo Chavez and Hu Jintao.” Basics of the Artist The main inspiration behind Valladares’ work is futurism and the human being as a future abstract concept. His line of work is basically focused on man, and within him the head is a standout, mostly recreated in quasi robotic forms. He points out that to him jewelry is just a complement. “It’s like building sculptures in an instantaneous way, with exotic and creative designs that also reflect my own artistic world.” Raul Valladares entered the realm of silversmithing and sculpturing on the heels of his studies on metal technology. His works have been admired all around the world, with private collections in Germany, Spain, the US, France, Switzerland, Austria, Mexico, Italy, UK, Greece and Netherlands. The list of his most coveted awards includes the prize to the best silversmith exhibit granted by the Coral Negro firm at FIART 95, a Gold Medal for the humidor line at FIHAV 1997, and the Picasso Medal bestowed by the UNESCO World Council.