JAUME PLENSA

Plensa's works, which bridge sculpture, drawing, sound, and light, are celebrated for their meditative presence and their ability to transform public spaces into sites of reflection and community. Plensa's most iconic projects, such as Crown Fountain in Chicago's Millennium Park, have established him as one of the most significant artists working in the public realm today.

Early Years

Born in Barcelona in 1955, Plensa studied at the Llotja School of Art and Design and the Sant Jordi School of Fine Arts in his home city. His formative years in Barcelona, a city rich in artistic heritage, shaped his multidisciplinary approach and deep engagement with the human condition. Since his first solo exhibition in 1980, Plensa has lived and worked in Berlin, Brussels, England, France, and the United States, though he continues to be based in Barcelona.

Plensa has held teaching positions at the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris and is a regular guest professor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, sharing his experience and philosophy with new generations of artists.

Jaume Plensa Artworks

Plensa's practice encompasses sculpture, drawing, engraving, and installation, with a distinctive focus on the spiritual, the poetic, and the collective experience. Working across materials such as stone, steel, glass, wood, water, and light, his contemporary artworks often feature the human figure, language, and text, exploring themes of silence, beauty, communication, and the relationship between the individual and the community.

'The main obsession for me was to try to understand the relationship between individuality, single, and the community, the totality," Plensa has said. "Sculpture is the best way to ask a question'.

Seminal Artworks and Developments

Crown Fountain, Millennium Park, Chicago (2004)

Perhaps Plensa's most celebrated public artwork, Crown Fountain consists of two 50-foot glass brick towers that project video portraits of Chicago residents, integrating water and light to create a dynamic, interactive space. The work exemplifies Plensa's commitment to fostering community through art.

Dream, St Helens, Merseyside, UK (2009)

Commissioned for a former colliery site, Dream is a monumental 20-metre sculpture of a young woman's head in meditation, symbolising hope and transformation. The work has become a landmark for the region.

Water's Soul, Newport, New Jersey (2021)

Standing at 80 feet, Water's Soul is Plensa's tallest public sculpture to date. The serene head, with a finger raised to the lips, faces Manhattan and invites viewers to a moment of silence and reflection.

Other Notable Works

• House of Knowledge, Borås, Sweden (2003)
• World Voices, Dubai, UAE (2009)
• Ogijima's Soul, Ogijima, Japan (2010)
• Singapore Soul, Ocean Financial Centre, Singapore (2011)
• Echo, Madison Square Park, New York (2011)
• Possibilities, Seoul, South Korea (2016)
• Julia, Plaza de Colón, Madrid, Spain (2018)
• Voices, 30 Hudson Yards, New York, USA (2018)
• Dreaming, Richmond-Adelaide Centre, Toronto, Canada (2020)
• Water's Soul, Newport Pier Park, Jersey City, New Jersey, USA (2021)
• WE, The Shard, London, UK (2021)
• Utopia, Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park, Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA (2021)
• Endless, Raclin Murphy Museum of Art, University of Notre Dame, Indiana, USA (2023)

Plensa's works on paper, mixed media, and etchings further demonstrate his ongoing exploration of language, poetry, and the inner landscape of the human mind.

Awards and Accolades

• Médaille des Chevaliers des Arts et Lettres, French Ministry of Culture (1993)
• National Award of Arts, Government of Catalonia (1997)
• Doctor Honoris Causa, School of the Art Institute of Chicago (2005)
• Marsh Award for Excellence in Public Sculpture (2009)
• Creu de Sant Jordi Award, Catalonia (2012)
• National Award for Plastic Arts, Spain (2012)
• Premio Velázquez de Artes Plásticas, Spanish Ministry of Culture (2013)
• Honorary Doctorate, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (2018)
• Gold Medal for Cultural Merit, City of Barcelona (2024).

The International Sculpture Center's Lifetime Achievement Award.

In 2025, Plensa was announced as the recipient of the International Sculpture Center's Lifetime Achievement Award. Established in 1991 by the ISC's Board of Trustees, the award recognises individual sculptors who have made exemplary contributions to the field of sculpture. Candidates for the award are masters of sculptural processes and techniques who have devoted their careers to the development of a laudable body of sculptural work as well as to the advancement of the sculpture field.

Past recipients include Magdalena Abakanowicz, Lynda Benglis, Fernando Botero, Louise Bourgeois, Sir Anthony Caro, John Chamberlain, Barbara Chase-Riboud, Eduardo Chillida, Christo and Jeanne-Claude, Petah Coyne, Tony Cragg, Mark di Suvero, Melvin Edwards, Red Grooms, Nancy Holt, Richard Hunt, Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, Nam June Paik, Robert Rauschenberg, George Segal, Joel Shapiro, Kiki Smith, Frank Stella, James Surls, William Tucker, and Bernar Venet.

Exhibitions

Jaume Plensa has been the subject of solo and group exhibitions at major institutions worldwide.

Solo Exhibitions

• MACBA, Barcelona (2024)
• Fundació Catalunya La Pedrera, Barcelona (2023)
• Museu Oscar Niemeyer, Curitiba, Brazil (2022–2023)
• Yorkshire Sculpture Park, UK (2011, 2022)
• Nasher Sculpture Center, Dallas, USA (2010)
• Fundació Joan Miró, Barcelona (1996)
• Galerie nationale du Jeu de Paume, Paris (1997)
• Museo Reina Sofía, Madrid (2000)

Group Exhibitions

• Venice Biennale, Basílica San Giorgio Maggiore (2015)
• Moscow Museum of Modern Art, Moscow (2019)
• MMoCA, Madison, Wisconsin (2016)

Website and Instagram

Jaume Plensa's website: [jaumeplensa.com], and Instagram: @jaumeplensaofficial

Critical Reception

Plensa's work has been widely discussed in leading art publications, including Frieze, Artforum, Ocula, Hyperallergic, and The Guardian. Ocula Magazine notes: 'Plensa's sculptures transform public spaces into sites of poetic encounter, inviting viewers to reflect on shared humanity and the power of silence'.

FAQ

What is Jaume Plensa best known for?

Plensa is internationally recognised for his monumental public sculptures, particularly Crown Fountain in Chicago's Millennium Park, which has become an icon of contemporary public art.

What materials does Jaume Plensa use?

His artworks span a wide range of materials, including stone, steel, glass, wood, water, light, and sound. He often incorporates language and text into his sculptures.

Where can I see Plensa's public art?

Plensa's public commissions can be found in cities worldwide, including Chicago, New York, London, Singapore, Dubai, Seoul, and Barcelona.

What are the themes in Plensa's work?

His art explores the relationship between the individual and the collective, the power of silence, communication, beauty, and the spiritual dimension of human experience.

Does Jaume Plensa teach?

He has taught at the École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris and is a regular guest professor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, in addition to lecturing worldwide.

What is Plensa's artistic philosophy?

Plensa believes that 'art has the tremendous capacity to change the world' and that 'sculpture is the best way to ask a question', emphasising the importance of beauty, silence, and shared humanity in his work.

Ocula | 2025