Jaume Plensa

JAUME PLENSA (Barcelona, 1955).
“Reflections VI,” 2024.
Engraving on a photosensitive polymer plate with chine-collé using Sunji paper on Fabriano Tiepolo paper, edition 17/75.
Signed and numbered in pencil.
Measurements: 44.5 x 59 cm (print); 65 x 71 cm (paper).

“Reflections VI” is part of a recent series in which Jaume Plensa brings one of the central motifs of his sculptural work into his graphic art: the human head understood as a space for introspection. The female profile emerges from an area of intense darkness and is traversed by a delicate grid that shapes the volume without resorting to traditional chiaroscuro. The hallmarks of this geometric structure, the almost atmospheric density of the black, and the vertical glazes endow the image with a silent, contemplative quality characteristic of his artistic language. The technique combines etching on photosensitive polymer with chine-collé; the print is produced on 290 g Fabriano Tiepolo paper, incorporating 28 g Sunji paper.

Since the beginning of his career, Plensa has produced a significant body of graphic work, parallel to his sculptural practice, and in 2013 he received the National Prize for Graphic Art from the Calcografía Nacional. Trained at the Escola de la Llotja and the Escola Superior de Belles Arts de Sant Jordi in Barcelona, his international recognition has been solidified particularly through major public art projects, including Crown Fountain in Chicago’s Millennium Park. He was awarded the National Prize for Plastic Arts in 2012 and the Velázquez Prize for Plastic Arts in 2013. His work is part of the collection of the Reina Sofía National Art Museum, among others.