Jaume Plensa

JAUME PLENSA (Barcelona, 1955)
"Llibre de fusta", 1984
Artist's book with 11 woodcuts on paper.
Issue 21/25
Signed and numbered.
Texts by Maria Josep Balsach
Edited by Ignasi de Lassaletta, Barcelona, winter 1984.
Printed in Magí Baleta's workshop on laid paper.
Ash wood and leather covers made by Ferran Maese
Measurements: 30 × 24 × 2 cm

Produced in 1984, Llibre de fusta is one of Jaume Plensa's first artist's books, in which some of the constants of his later production are already evident: the relationship between word and image, the symbolic use of the alphabet and the material dimension of the support.

The volume, bound with wooden covers, reinforces the idea of a sculptural object, moving away from the traditional book to become a hybrid piece between sculpture and graphic work. The eleven woodcuts, printed in a reduced range of black and red, present synthetic forms and almost archaic signs that dialogue with the texts by Maria Josep Balsach.

The edition was limited to 25 numbered copies, in addition to artist's proofs, which underlines its exclusive and experimental character within the artist's early graphic production.

Jaume Plensa 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 awards, including the National Plastic Arts Award from the Generalitat de Catalunya and the Medal of Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres from 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.