Jaume Plensa

JAUME PLENSA (Barcelona, 1955).
"La neige rouge", 1991. Artist's book.
With 13 etching and aquatint engravings, copy 25/75.
26 copper plates.
Signed and numbered by the artist.
Handmade paper made in El Molí de Gelida.
Printing, clock face collage and mounting: Magí Baleta, Barcelona.
Binding: case made at Fundició Cabot, Olesa de Montserrat.
Publishers: Galerie de France, Paris, and Galería Carles Taché, Barcelona.
Measurements: 36 x 28 x 6 cm (closed book); 33 x 50 cm (paper); 32 x 25 cm (copper plates).

"La neige rouge" is one of the most significant artist's books of Jaume Plensa's early production in the nineties, a moment in which the artist explores with intensity the relationship between time, memory and matter. The work is articulated around thirteen etchings and aquatints that display a symbolic imagery characteristic of this period: clocks, organic structures and forms that oscillate between the corporeal and the mechanical.

The inclusion of the 26 original copper plates turns the whole into a piece with a strong sculptural dimension, where matrix and image coexist as an essential part of the discourse. It is not only an illustrated book, but an integral artistic object in which process, material and final result form a conceptual unit.

The use of handmade paper from El Molí de Gelida and the printing done by Magí Baleta underline the technical excellence of the project, while the metal case made by Fundició Cabot reinforces the physical and architectural presence of the whole.

Jaume Plensa studied at the Llotja School and at the Sant Jordi School of Fine Arts in Barcelona. He lives in Paris and has developed an extensive international career, with outstanding exhibitions such as the retrospective held at the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía in 2000.

He has received important recognitions, among them the National Prize of Plastic Arts of the Generalitat de Catalunya and the Medal of Knight of Arts and Letters of the French Ministry of Culture. His work is part of important international collections and museums such as the MoMA in New York, the Reina Sofia Museum in Madrid and the MACBA in Barcelona.