A quick interview with the artist. The artist interview starts forty seconds into the clip.
A very large work done by the artist in Chicago. This is called Crown Fountain and using LED lights and a glass reflecting pool. The tower if fifty feet in height. This is a great clip because you get to see what one of the more than thirty public works done by the artist looks like from far away, and close up. In style, it reminds me of looking at a Chuck Close picture from a distance and then from close up.
A clip from a show given in New York in September, 2012.
Plensa was born in Barcelona, Spain in 1955. He is best known for his very large sculptures of people.
Another large public work is titled “Dream.” The work is 66 feet tall and weighs 500 tons. The sculpture was done of a woman with her eyes closed. To give a contemporary feel it was covered in dolomite, a mineral deposit which resembles a rock. When first used the mine was used only for coal.
Jaume Plensa also has done work for the United Nations. In 2008 he finished a large work that was dedicated to journalists that died whilst working in dangerous locales.
2005 the artist received an honorary doctorate from the Art Institute of Chicago.
He is included in many prestigious collections including the San Fransisco Museum of Fine Art, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Miami Art Museum, Milwaukee Art Museum, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Kansas City, and the North Carolina Museum of Art.
On line and land based gallery: Mayoral Galerie d’Arte located in Barcelona, Spain. http://www.galeriamayoral.com/en/Artistes/Plensa/12/
Plensa is very diverse in his choice of mediums and has done artworks using collage, wood, resin, steel, marble, alabaster, and bronze. He has also done paintings in oils and watercolor as well as lithographs, engravings, and etchings, works done in pen and ink, and pastel.
Low price range: Etchings and lithographs can be found between $1,200 and $5,000. Aquatings are start around $1,200. Watercolors start around $5,000. Engravings can be found for $500 to $5000.
High price range: Bronzes go from $28,000 well into the six figure price range depending on size. Steel and iron works records are $218,000. Watercolors on the high end are around $90,000.
I enjoy this artist for his diversity in his output. The very large sculptures are just perfect for being placed in public locations. The sculptures are so massive, yet show people as very thoughtful and respectful of their surroundings. The pieces remind me of classical sculpture that has been worn down over time, in some of his portraits large parts of the head are missing.
A link to the artist’s own website: http://jaumeplensa.com/
As an artist I am very pleased to see another artist get a commission, even if it is a small one painting a local utitlity box. Its nice to see that art is important enough for the public. Plensa has completed more than thirty public works in cities like Chicago, Dubai, London, Liverpool, Nice, Tokyo, Toronto, and Vancouver.
Create!
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