Jaume Plensa

JAUME PLENSA (Barcelona, 1955).
Untitled, 1986.
Pastel and linseed oil on paper. Double-sided work.
Signed and dated “Plensa 1986.”
Provenance: Valente Arte Contemporanea, Finale Ligure, Italy.
Bibliography: Jean-Louis Andral, Clare Lilley, and Jean Frémon, *Jaume Plensa. Dessins–Drawings*, Éditions Skira, Paris, 2022, p. 39 (reproduced).
Measurements: 90 x 61.5 cm; 108 x 77.5 cm (frame).

This work demonstrates how the interest in the human figure—which would become one of the fundamental themes of Plensa’s career—was already fully present in his early years. On the front, a large frontal face occupies practically the entire surface, constructed with schematic features, large ears, and incisive forms that give it an archaic and almost totemic appearance. The deliberately rudimentary treatment of the drawing, reminiscent of a primitivist sensibility, is combined with the dark density of the material, which lends the surface a strong physical presence.

The reverse features an animal figure, likewise rendered through a synthetic and energetic drawing style. In contrast to the serene, refined, and monumental heads that would come to define his sculptural output decades later, here the human figure still appears subjected to intense expressive distortion, allowing us to appreciate the evolution of a motif that would remain central to his work. From the very beginning, drawing occupied an autonomous place in Plensa’s practice, serving as a space for experimentation parallel to sculpture; the inclusion of this piece in the monograph *Dessins–Drawings*, dedicated specifically to this facet of his work, underscores its significance. In 1986, he also presented a solo exhibition at the Maeght Gallery in Barcelona, at a pivotal moment in the consolidation of this early phase.

Jaume Plensa studied at the Escola de la Llotja and the Escola Superior de Belles Arts de Sant Jordi in Barcelona and held his first solo exhibition in 1980. His career has achieved broad international recognition, with institutional exhibitions such as *Chaos-Saliva* at the Palacio de Velázquez–Reina Sofía Museum in Madrid and high-profile public projects such as *Crown Fountain* in Millennium Park in Chicago. He received the National Prize for Visual Arts in 2012 and, in 2013, the Velázquez Prize for Visual Arts and the National Prize for Graphic Art. His work is included in collections such as those of the MACBA and the Museum of Modern Art in New York.