Jaume Plensa (Spanish, b.1955) is both a sculptor and an artist. Having worked and lived in Brussels, Berlin, France, and England from 1980 to the present, Plensa has been at the center of the Contemporary Art arena. Plensa has been an instructor and lecturer in many institutions and universities in Paris. At the School of the Art Institute in Chicago, Plensa has made collaboration as an invited professor. He has garnered several awards and distinctions for his works of art from both international and national bodies. These awards include the 1997 National Award for Plastic Arts in Barcelona, Spain, the 2005 Honorary Doctorate in Chicago, IL, and the 2009 Mash Award for Public Sculpture in London, UK.
Plensa has created various outdoor commissions and projects in public places situated in several locations across various countries, such as Spain, France, England, Sweden, Germany, Italy, Austria, Japan, and the United States. All of his sculptural masterpieces undergo various phases of design and development using such materials as bronze, copper, and iron. He began his sculpture series made of cast iron in 1986, with relief and light written text incorporated in each piece. Lately, the melting materials he uses are glass, synthetic resin, alabaster, light, plastic, sound, and video. In addition, Plensa has made several huge productions on etchings and paper.
Apart from his main sculpting work, Plensa also collaborates with designers concerning costumes and stage design for theater and opera productions. Beginning in 1996, Plensa has been using his artistry for costume and stage designing in a few of the most distinguished opera productions in the world, such as S. Sebastian by Debussy (Rome) and The Damnation of Faust by Berlioz (Salzburg Festpiele). Until today, Plensa constantly displays his artworks at Galerie Lelong (New York), Galerie Lelong (Paris), and Richard Gray Gallery (Chicago and New York). At present, he divides his time between his residences in Paris and Barcelona.
