Jaume Plensa

JAUME PLENSA (Barcelona, 1955).
“Home II,” 1983.
Mixed media on paper.
Certificate issued by the artist is included.
Work framed with museum-grade glass.
Measurements: 98 x 30 cm; 108 x 40 cm (frame).
Created in 1983, “Home II” belongs to an early phase of Jaume Plensa’s career, when the artist was beginning to explore some of the themes that, decades later, would establish him as one of the most recognized figures in international contemporary art. Although very different from the monumental heads and human figures for which he is known today, this work already foreshadows essential themes of his creative universe: the human condition, identity, memory, and the relationship between the body and space.
The composition is structured around a powerful vertical form dominated by a limited palette of blacks, whites, and earthy grays. At first glance, the image seems to oscillate between abstraction and figuration. However, as the viewer’s gaze lingers on it, an anthropomorphic presence emerges: a schematic figure reminiscent of a totem, an ancestral idol, or a primitive representation of the human body. The thick black lines delineate an essential anatomy, reduced to elementary signs, while the circular forms and rough textures introduce a symbolic and almost ritualistic dimension. The date of creation is particularly significant. During the early 1980s, Jaume Plensa was going through a period of intense experimentation in which he worked indiscriminately with painting, drawing, printmaking, and sculpture. Fresh out of the artistic context of the Spanish Transition, the artist was interested in the expressive possibilities of materials and in artistic languages close to Expressionism and primitive art. His works from this period feature dense, gestural, and textural surfaces, still far removed from the conceptual and technological lightness that would characterize some of his later works.
*Home II* reflects precisely this quest. The figure appears to be constructed from layers, imprints, and traces that evoke an archaeology of memory. Rather than representing a body, the work seems to explore what remains of it: its imprint, its symbolic presence, its spiritual condition. This reflection on the human being, understood from a universal and timeless perspective, constitutes one of the central themes of Plensa’s entire career.
Born in Barcelona in 1955, Jaume Plensa began his training at the La Llotja School of Art and Design and at the Sant Jordi School of Fine Arts. From an early age, he showed an interest in material experimentation and in the dialogue between different artistic disciplines. Jaume Plensa has built an extensive international career, with notable exhibitions such as the retrospective held at the Reina Sofía National Art Museum in 2000.He has received major awards, including the National Prize for Plastic Arts from the Government of Catalonia and the Medal of Knight of Arts and Letters from the French Ministry of Culture. His work is part of major international collections and museums such as MoMA in New York, the Reina Sofía Museum in Madrid, and MACBA in Barcelona.