"Jaume PLENSA is part of the long tradition of Catalan sculptors, of which he is today the foremost representative, who have conceived their work in a dialogue between Mediterranean memory and universality. For several decades, the sculptor has been showcasing a body of work on the international stage that questions the human condition at the scale of public space.
From the famous Crown Fountain at Millennium Park in Chicago to his installation at the San Giorgio Maggiore Abbey for the Venice Biennale in 2015, his silent figures translate into space a deep meditation on identity, vulnerability, and language. Bodies woven from letters, intertwined alphabets, faces with closed eyes absorbed in a dense interiority: this iconography suggests that humanity is a text in the making, creation a palimpsest of languages and cultures.
Following its reopening in 2025 with the JR exhibition, Carré Sainte-Anne also asserts a southern and universal ambition, both heritage and contemporary, aware of the diversity and richness of its roots. After discovering and loving this place for "the intensity that emanates from its walls, its stones, and its light," Jaume PLENSA will propose a large-scale installation this summer, designed for the verticality of the nave and its unique history, a rare encounter questioning the notions of contemplation and elevation, as well as the capacity of contemporary art to weave connections between memories and territories.
Numa HAMBURSIN, curator of the exhibition
Born in Barcelona in 1955, Jaume Plensa is an essential figure in international contemporary sculpture, much of whose work is specifically designed for public spaces. His sculptures are present around the world: "Crown Fountain" at Millennium Park in Chicago; "We" at the foot of The Shard in London; "Water’s Soul" in Jersey City facing Manhattan; "Julia" on Plaza de Colón in Madrid; "The House of Light and Love" in Taipei. In France, his works can be seen in front of the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Caen, at Port Vauban in Antibes, Place Masséna in Nice, and Place des Ormeaux in Valence.
Numerous museums in Europe, the United States, and Asia have showcased Plensa's works. Among his major exhibitions are the one at the Fundació Joan Miró in Barcelona in 1996, which was later presented at the Jeu de Paume National Gallery in Paris and at Malmö Konsthall in Sweden the following year; and "Genus and Species" at the Nasher Sculpture Center, Dallas, Texas in 2010. In 2011, a large selection of his sculptures was exhibited at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park in West Bretton (UK), which earned this institution the Most Magnificent Attraction award in 2011. His work was recently exhibited at the Museum of Art and Archaeology in Valence as part of a public commission, as well as at the Fundación Telefónica in Madrid. In June 2025, he presented "Forgotten Dreams" as part of Art Basel Unlimited, confirming his recognition on the global art scene. In the fall of 2025, a major retrospective was dedicated to him at the Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park in Michigan (USA), one of the largest sculpture parks in North America.
A recipient of numerous national and international awards, including the National Fine Arts Prize awarded by the Catalan government in 1997, Jaume Plensa was made a Knight of Arts and Letters in France in 1993. He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2005. In Spain, he received the National Fine Arts Prize in 2012 and the prestigious Velázquez Prize in 2013. With "Together," an exhibition on the sidelines of the 56th Venice Biennale at the Basilica San Giorgio Maggiore, Jaume Plensa received the Global Fine Art Award for Best Public Outdoor Installation in 2015. In 2025, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Sculpture Center.
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