Jaume Plensa‘s stainless steel sculptural doors stand majestically at the entrance to the Gran Teatre del Liceu, marking a new era for this iconic coliseum on Barcelona’s Ramblas. Although their final installation is still in progress, passersby can already glimpse the magnificence of these monumental structures, each weighing half a ton.
On Tuesday, onlookers witnessed how the three imposing trellises designed by the acclaimed Catalan artist, who has closely supervised every stage of this ambitious project, will look. As the September opening date approaches, coinciding with the expected return of activity at the Liceu, these works of art will be temporarily covered with a tarp, further heightening anticipation among citizens and art lovers alike.
Christened with the evocative name of “Constel·lacions“, these doors represent much more than simple architectural elements. They are a tribute to the Liceu itself, to the music that has filled its halls over the years, to the emblematic grilles designed by Gaudí and to the nearby legacy of Miró, whose mosaic adorns the nearby Pla de l’Os.
But beyond their aesthetic value, the doors also have a practical function: to preserve the safety and integrity of the surrounding space. By preventing people from taking refuge in the arcade at night, these works of art play a crucial role in protecting the environment, as Víctor García de Gomar, artistic director of the Liceu, pointed out in a previous statement. “Sometimes we find ourselves in hell. It is necessary to protect this space so as not to be complicit in things that happen here, from people shooting heroin, people who want to sleep, situations like rape and prostitution“.
Plensa‘s art not only beautifies the Liceu, but also serves as a reminder of the diversity and cultural richness that defines Barcelona’s Ramblas. Made with alphabet letters from diverse cultures, these doors are a symbol of inclusion and respect for the plurality that characterizes this emblematic artery of the city.
In the midst of controversy and discussion about the fate of public space, Plensa‘s doors represent a balance between aesthetics and functionality, between artistic expression and practical necessity. With their placement, it is hoped that the Liceu will not only be a place of artistic excellence, but also a safe and welcoming refuge for all who visit it.
The Reus Museum exhibits at its headquarters in the Raval de Santa Anna the piece “Duna’s World II”, a work by the sculptor Jaume Plensa, which is part of a col private collection, lent to the city by the Senda Gallery.
Jaume Plensa born in Barcelona in 1955 is one of the greatest exponents of the current sculpture scene, and internationally known, especially for his pieces of art in public spaces.
“Duna’s World II” is another representation of Jaume Plensa‘s idea, a young face, sculpted directly on the marble, with an incredibly smooth surface that is a clear tribute to the purity of youth.
The face, with closed eyes transports us to the world of inner reflection, of introspection, of peace, like a utopian portrait of human thought. With its contemplation Plensa invites us to better feel our deepest being and abandon ourselves to the time of thought.
The face, with closed eyes, transports us to the world of inner reflection, introspection, peace, like a utopian portrait of human thought. With its contemplation, Plensa invites us to feel better our deeper being and leave us in the time of thought.
El rostro, con los ojos cerrados, nos transporta al mundo de la reflexión interior, de la introspección, de la paz, como un retrato utópico del pensamiento humano. Con su contemplación Plensa nos invita a sentir mejor nuestro ser más profundo y abandonarnos en el tiempo del pensamiento.
“Duna’s World II” is a unique piece of marble, 183 x 67 x 58, created in 2015
With the sale of this piece, Reus will have two works by Jaume Plensa. In 2003, the sculptor created the piece ‘Body of Light’ which is installed at the entrance of the Xavier Amorós Central Library.
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Museo de Reus has opened its doors to present a true jewel of contemporary art: the exceptional piece “Duna’s World II” by acclaimed sculptor Jaume Plensa. This work, part of a private collection on loan from Galeria SENDA, has found its home in the historic headquarters of the Santa Ana district, adding a new and vibrant cultural dimension to the city.
“Duna’s World II” transcends the mere category of sculpture to become a gateway to the artist’s fascinating universe. It is a living testimony of his artistic ideology and a celebration of eternal youth. Masterfully carved in marble, the delicacy and smoothness of its surface invite the viewer to approach and be enveloped by its mystical aura. The face, with eyes closed in a gesture of serene contemplation, suggests a state of deep reflection, an irresistible invitation to explore the innermost recesses of our own consciousness.
Jaume Plensa, renowned for his ability to capture the very essence of the human being in his works, leads us on a journey of self-discovery towards inner peace and spiritual harmony. “Duna’s World II” reminds us of the vital importance of introspection and invites us to immerse ourselves in the time of thought, where we find the serenity and balance so longed for in the tumult of modern life.
“Duna’s World II” is a unique marble piece, 183 x 67 x 58, created in 2015
The transfer of this masterpiece represents an invaluable gift for Reus, which can now boast of having two works by the renowned sculptor in its city In 2003, Plensa left an indelible mark on the city with his monumental creation “Body of Light“, which majestically adorns the entrance of Biblioteca Central Xavier Amorós. With the incorporation of “Duna’s World II“, Reus consolidates its position as an unavoidable cultural destination on the map of contemporary art, attracting visitors and art lovers from all over the world.
If you want to explore more closely “Duna’s World II“, in addition to approaching Museo de Reus, you can watch this video of Canal Reus where the details of the work are explored, in addition to hearing a few words from the councilor of culture of the City of Reus, Daniel Recasens, and the delegate of the Government of the Generalitat in Camp de Tarragona, Teresa Pallarès.
To keep up to date with the latest news and activities of Galeria SENDA, you can follow us on our social networks. Don’t miss any updates about our exhibitions, special events and much more. Join our community and be part of the exciting world of contemporary art!
The doors that the Catalan artist Jaume Plensa has designed for the entrance of the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona in homage to music, Antoni Gaudí, Joan Miró and the “diversity” of La Rambla in Barcelona, join the celebration of the 175th anniversary this year of the inauguration of the Liceu.
Plensa has assured that with the doors of the lobby he wants to pay homage to Gaudí’s railings and also Miró’s constellations, which is why it has baptized them as Constel·lacions, as well as the “artery of diversity” of Barcelona, which for him is La Rambla. Constel·lacions will be installed in the three arcades of the main entrance of the theater and It will be integrated without affecting other elements incorporated prior to the Oriol Mestres façade from 1874 and recovered in 2019.
Jaume Plensa’s doors that will be incorporated into the entrance of El Liceu.
Plensa has underlined that these doors are a conglomerate of letters that grows, with the color of moonlight, and has remarked that humanity is marked by language, and that in this creation he pretends to show “alphabets of many cultures”.
“You already know my world of texts and alphabets. I like to mix different cultures because I think we are very good when we are together, keeping our individuality and small differences, but how good we are when we are together! And I think these doors are a tribute to diversity, even more so on the Ramblas, which are the artery of diversity in Barcelona.”
Jaume Plensa
Despite admitting that he hates doors as well as everything that closes, the artist has remarked that the more he sees the design the more he likes it -the doors will open vertically- and it has been a success, and he has remarked that they will also be used to ;“dignify the area” in what has been defined as a gift from the Liceu to the city and become the new face of the theatre. Asked if he fears the doors might be damaged, he has said it will provide a finish that supports restoration very well without fuss.
These are “quite light” pieces in the words of the artist, about 500 kilograms each and a thickness of 1 centimeter of steel, which gives them rigidity and lightness at the same time. The president of the Liceu, Salvador Alemany, and the theater’s artistic director, Víctor Garcia de Gomar, have trusted that the doors will be installed at the start of the 2022-2023 season at the end of September. They have cost around 750,000 euros -Plensa has not wanted to collect the fees-, of which 50% is assumed by the ACS Foundation, 35% through Feder funds and the remaining 15% for the theater, reports Europa Press.
The model of Plensa’s work for the Liceu. (Photograph: FERRAN NADEU)
“The doors presented two extraordinary challenges” – adds Plensa. “One is the building itself, which everyone says is horrible but I think that when the horror accumulates it ends up being wonderful. I would not touch a comma of this building, I love it. I love the lamps at the entrance. And the second is that we are facing an extraordinary work by Miró on the Ramblas that I think has marked many things in the city in a very strong way, including the tragic moment of the attack in the city, which ended up just ahead.”
“In these Constel·lacions I wanted to pay homage to the Liceu, to music, but also to think of an architect who has given us many days of glory in the city, Gaudí, and I choose the title precisely because of this world of Miró’s constellations, which is the one I especially want to pay tribute to,” he said.
The doors that the Catalan artist Jaume Plensa has designed for the entrance of the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona in homage to music, Antoni Gaudí, Joan Miró and the “diversity” of Las Ramblas in Barcelona, join the celebration of the 175th anniversary of the inauguration of the Liceu.
Plensa said that with the lobby doors he wanted to pay homage to Gaudí’s grilles and Miró’s constellations, which is why he has named them “Constel·lacions“, as well as to the “artery of diversity” of Barcelona, which for him is Las Ramblas. “Constel·lacions” will be installed in the three arcades of the main entrance of the theater and will be integrated without affecting other elements previously incorporated into the facade of Oriol Mestres of 1874 and recovered in 2019.
Jaume Plensa’s doors to be incorporated at the entrance of the Liceu
Plensa stressed that the doors are a conglomerate of letters that grow, with the color of moonlight, and remarked that humanity is marked by language, and therefore, in his creation, he wanted to show “alphabets of many cultures“.
“You already know my world of texts and alphabets. I like to mix different cultures because I think we are very good when we are together, keeping our individuality and small differences, but how good we are when we are together! And I think these doors are a tribute to diversity, even more so in Las Ramblas, which is the artery of diversity in Barcelona“.
Despite admitting that he hates doors, as well as everything that closes, the artist has remarked that the more he sees the design the more he likes it – the doors will open vertically – and believes that they have been a success. In addition, he has remarked that they will also serve to “dignify the area” in what he has defined as a gift from the Liceu to the city and become the new face of the theater. Asked if he fears that the doors may be damaged, he said that it will provide a finish that supports very well the restoration without complications.
These are “quite light” pieces, in the artist’s words, weighing some 500 kilograms each and with a thickness of 1 centimeter of steel, which gives them rigidity and lightness at the same time. The president of the Liceu, Salvador Alemany, and the theater’s artistic director, Víctor García de Gomar, are confident that the doors will be installed at the start of the 2022-2023 season, towards the end of September. They have cost about 750,000 euros – Plensa has not wanted to collect his fees -, of which 50% is assumed by ACS Foundation, 35% through Feder funds and the remaining 15% by the theater, as reported by Europa Press.
The model of Plensa’s work for the Liceu | Photograph by FERRAN NADEU
“The doors presented two extraordinary challenges” adds Plensa. “One is the building itself, which everyone says is horrifying, but I think that when horror accumulates, it ends up being wonderful. I wouldn’t touch a comma of this building. I love the chandeliers at the entrance. And the second is that we are looking at an extraordinary work by Miró on Las Ramblas that I think has strongly marked many things in the city, including the tragic moment of the attack in the city, which ended right in front of the building“.
“In these «Constel·lacions» I wanted to pay tribute to the Liceu, to music, but also to think of an architect who has given us many days of glory in the city, Gaudí, and I chose the title precisely because of this world of Miró’s constellations, who is the one I especially want to pay tribute to” he added.
This year we celebrate with great enthusiasm our twentieth participation in ART BRUSSELS, from April 28th to May 1st 2022, with the following selected artists:
The artist pays tribute to the victims of war in his new exhibition in the French town of Céret
“Every time a human being dies,/the house closes and a place is lost./My work is its memory; the frozen fixation/of so many bodies that are developing/and disappearing in the fleetingness of life./My work is its volume.” Jaume Plensa wrote this poem in 2000 and his verses, from which he has taken the title of his new exhibition, “Every face is a place“, resonate with a painful echo in each of the sculptures and drawings gathered at the Museo de Arte Moderno de Céret (France).
“In Ukraine there are many people dying, many houses destroyed, many places to which it will no longer be possible to return… How can art help in such tragic situations like this? I think these faces are a tribute to all the faces we are seeing in the press, those dramatic photographs of women and children going into exile, and of men who have decided to stay to defend their homeland, their country and their little place, their home, their work. We are so much alike that I find it scandalous that we call ourselves by different names or use different flags: we human beings are practically identical“.
A visitor walks between the sculptures ‘Julia‘ and ‘Lou‘ | Agencia EFE
“Every face is a place” (until June 6) is Jaume Plensa‘s second exhibition in Céret after his successful presentation in 2015. This time he has returned to inaugurate the new stage of the Museo de la Catalunya Nord, which reopens after more than two years of works with its expanded collection and a new 1,300-meter pavilion designed by the prestigious architect Pierre-Louis Faloci. There, in this new wing “that flows as if it were a small river between the houses of Céret“, Plensa has put into conversation a dozen sculptures and twenty drawings whose absolute protagonist is the portrait. “The face,” he recalls, “is the part of our body that we cannot see, the great gift we give to others; the photograph of the soul, the door we open to others“.
“We human beings are so similar that it is a scandal that we use different flags”
Plensa wanted to open his tour with another of his obsessions, silence, to which he invites through Carlota, the same girl who, from her 24 meters high, inspires calm in an old dock in Newport (New Jersey), just in front of Manhattan. The one that now receives the visitor is much smaller and is built with Macael marble, but the attitude is the same, the index finger on the lips. “I invite silence, not to not speak, but just the opposite. To be able to listen and better understand our thoughts, the vibration of our body and our ideas“. He also has his eyes closed. “I like to think that the viewer can use the sculpture as a mirror, that he himself closes his eyes and tries to look at this wonderful inner landscape that we keep hidden for reasons of education or culture, because we always believe that there are other more important things to talk about than oneself, and it seems to me that this way we miss valuable information from so many and so many people“.
Image of the exhibition “Every face is a place” by David Borrat | Agencia EFE
The ghost of war crosses the path again. “It’s a stupid war” Plensa laments. “I have many friends in Ukraine and also in Russia, I have exhibited in Kiev and I have exhibited in Moscow, and what is happening is an absolute misunderstanding. I hope it ends soon, and we return to civility, as Vicent Andrés Estellés used to say“. The artist also remembers Oscar Wilde, who said that “when you start to live you really want to write because what you are looking for is to understand life, and the more you have lived, the less you write because you realize that life is to be lived, not to be written“. The same thing happens to him. But, above all, a letter the poet wrote from Reading prison comes to mind, where he described the most serious problems they faced in prison: illness, hunger and insomnia. “That’s what must be happening in Ukraine” he imagines.
Barcelona artist Jaume Plensa during the presentation to the press by David Borrat | Agencia EFE
The artist delves into the faces of others from a first self-portrait, himself seated inside a large sphere made of letters of different alphabets that protects him and at the same time unites him to the world. “Sculpture is like a language in a bottle” he reflects. And the message is very important, but the bottle is key. “And here there are many bottles with a very similar message“. An art that declines the same idea in different containers. Faces in cast stainless steel, in bronze on wood that was captured when he was still alive, on burnt trunks that give them an almost sacred air or reaching almost invisibility in transparent meshes, like the one he presented at the Palacio de Cristal in Madrid. “Matter and invisibility seem contradictory terms, but there is a key moment in Macbeth that I think is a great definition of sculpture. Macbeth has just killed the king and realizes that he has not killed a being, a man, but he has killed the possibility of sleep. And that extraordinary idea that through matter you can speak of the invisible, of the untouchable, of what we cannot understand, is my sculpture“.
“The face is the part of our body we cannot see, the great gift we give to others”
Then come the spectators, who will complete the exhibition with their own faces and will join the ones that appear on the walls in the form of drawings. Some of them, the most recent ones, made on the sheets that protected the sculptures from dust in the studio and that by means of the frotage technique, with pastel and charcoal, absorb their traces as if they were a shroud. This will not be the only exhibition in which this year he will link sculptures and drawings. In May, he will be exhibiting at the Lelong Gallery in Paris and, in June, at the Yorkshire Sculpture Park (England) and at the Picasso Museum in Antibes (France).
With great excitement and enthusiasm, this year we are pleased to announce the twentieth participation of Galeria SENDA in the prestigious contemporary art fair Art Brussels, which will take place from April 28th to May 1st, 2022. For this special edition, we have carefully prepared a selection of artists that represent the plastic, sculptural and compositional quality of a small sample of the talent of those who are part of the SENDA family.
In our stand at Art Brussels you will find works by renowned artists exhibited at SENDA such as Jaume Plensa and his conceptual brutality represented in “Who Are You? V”; Peter Halley and his lively use of colors in his large geometric paintings; Yago Hortal and the grandeur of his canvases such as “Z53”; Stephan Balkenholwith his huge sculptural figures; Iran do Espírito Santo and his audacious way of turning contradiction into a tangible thing as with his sculpture “Black Light”; Glenda León with her reinterpretation of the lunar cycle in “Listening to the Moon”; Túlio Pinto and his sculptures created from the fusion of materials;Sandra Vásquez de la Horrawith her universe of fantastic figures that invite reflection on incendiary themes of the society in which we live; Gino Rubert with his farewells and reunions charged with symbolism; Xavi Bou and the wonderful chrono-photographic work captured in “Ornithographies“; Anthony Goicolea with his portraits where he explores human identity related to social issues such as migration; Donald Sultan and the reinvention of still lifes with works such as “Winter Mimosa Jan 28”; or the evocative photographs of Jordi Bernadó such as “New York (OS 276. 2)”. All this and much more is what anyone who attends the Art Brussels Week and passes by the stand A50 of Galeria SENDA will be able to find.
This amalgam of artistic projects demonstrates the solid gallery proposal of SENDA, betting on the dissemination of both national and international art. Likewise, the variety of techniques and disciplines is key to understand the idiosyncrasy of our gallery. Without the presence of this generous amount of projects so different from each other, fairs like Art Brussels would not make sense. For all this, if after getting to know the wide range of artists that will accompany SENDA in Brussels, you want to live an immersive experience and immerse yourself in the busy and vivid world of the fairs, you can find us at stand A50, in the Tour & Taxis building of the Belgian capital.
Portal, 2022 Sandra VÁSQUEZ DE LA HORRA Grafit, watercolour and gouache on wax-plated paper 76 × 56 cm
Escuchando la Luna, 2020 Glenda LEÓN Cow’s skin and wood 50 × 200 × 10 cm
Z51, 2022 Yago HORTAL Acrylic in cloth 230 × 190 cm
Donald Sultan. Autumn Mimosa (Feb, 2018) Enamel, latex, graphite and tar on masonite. 122 x 244 cm
From June 3rd to 6th, Galeria SENDA presents a group exhibition at Art Brussels, one of the most renowned contemporary art fairs in Europe and an unmissable event on the international art calendar. Art Brussels is the ideal opportunity to discover the artistic and cultural richness of the art and cultural scene of the European capital, attracting a considerable number of collectors, curators, gallery owners, art professionals and art lovers from all over the world. Each year, the fair welcomes around 25,000 visitors to the emblematic Tour & Taxis building in the heart of the Belgian capital.
Instead of the usual format, this year the Belgian fair will offer a new edition: the Art Brussels week will feature Viewing Rooms, i.e. online exhibitions, from June 2nd to 14th and will also present physical gallery tours from June 3rd to 6th. For those unfamiliar with the term “viewing room,” this is a digital system that allows viewers to explore and examine works of art, either through high-quality images, videos or detailed descriptions. These viewing rooms are often used at art fairs and galleries as a way to show works of art to those who cannot physically attend the place where the works are exhibited. Through the “viewing rooms” visitors can, apart from appreciating the pieces, obtain information about them and the artists and even contact the gallery to make inquiries or purchases. All you need is an Internet connection and a great desire to enter into this extrasensory experience of online visits.
Anthony Goicolea. Inflatable Pieta. Oil on raw linen canvas. 90 x 130 cm
This year, for the physical gallery tour, SENDA invites the public to visit our current exhibition: “Day and night: New paintings and drawings” by Donald Sultan. Sultan is a contemporary painter, sculptor and printmaker known for his large-scale paintings, which explore the dichotomies between beauty and rudeness and realism and abstraction through the construction of a particular imaginary rich in color and form. With the fusion of techniques and materials, Sultan manages to build works that dance between the representation of images directly recognizable in the collective imagination and the purest abstraction. A great example of this mix of concepts is his ability to reinvent a technique as old as still life, using images of lemons, poppies, fruits, flowers and everyday objects, which give a breath of fresh air to the grandeur of his compositions.
The online exhibition continues to present our selected artists in the Viewing Room so that the shows can reach many more people. The artists chosen to represent our gallery in Brussels are Peter Halley, Jaume Plensa, Yago Hortal, Anthony Goicolea, Jordi Bernadó,Oleg Dou, Glenda León, Stephan Balkenhol, Gino Rubert and Evru Zush. The exhibition includes painting, photography, sculpture and drawings to create a constellation of works representing multiple techniques and artistic expressions. The wide variety of artistic proposals for this art week in Brussels aims to extol the most significant attributes of our gallery, advocating a brutal combination that perfectly represents the exquisiteness of the contemporary art that SENDA is committed to exhibit.
Do not miss this unique artistic encounter where works from different corners of the world converge for a few days in Brussels to be appreciated by a wide range of attendees and art lovers, in a unique cultural experience.
Yago Hortal. Z5. Acrylic on linen. 2020Jordi Bernadó. Paris (FR 336.1). Photography. 2016Glenda León. Acoustic Painting. Drawing. 2020
Rockefeller Center transforms into a spectacular sculpture park to usher in Frieze Sculpture 2019, a monumental exhibition fusing art and architecture in the heart of New York. From April 25 through June 28, 2019, this iconic building will house a unique collection of twenty stunning works by internationally renowned artists, including Jaume Plensa, Goshka Macuga, Ibrahim Mahama, Joan Miró, Paulo Nazareth, Sarah Sze and Hank Willis Thomas, among others.
One of the highlights of the exhibition is Jaume Plensa‘s imposing sculpture “Behind the Walls“, a 7.5-meter-tall figure of a girl made of white resin, with her hands covering her eyes. Located at the entrance of the Channel Gardens on Fifth Avenue, this work invites viewers to reflect on self-imposed blindness and the need to face reality. For Plensa, the piece is a direct representation of how we sometimes close ourselves off from the world around us in order to feel more comfortable, and he hopes the work will function as a mirror for viewers, prompting them to examine their own lives and choices.
The curatorship of Frieze Sculpture 2019 by Brett Littman, director of the Garden Museum, has succeeded in creating an immersive art experience that attracts visitors from far and wide. Although initially hesitant to place Plensa‘s sculpture in this location, Littman recognized that it was the perfect place for this provocative work, capable of arousing curiosity and introspection in those who view it. In addition to “Behind the Walls“, works by other prominent international artists adorn the surroundings of Rockefeller Center and the various lobbies of the surrounding buildings, creating a cityscape full of art and meaning. This has been thanks to the partnership of Frieze New York and the real estate company Tishman Speyer, which will open the doors of these emblematic spaces to fill them with the monumentality of the twenty pieces on display.
«It’s almost the way I feel every morning», Littman said. «You put your hands over your eyes and think: “I can’t believe we have to deal with another day like this”».
For his part, Jaume Plensa confesses that it is a very direct piece. «On many occasions, we are blinding ourselves with our hands to feel in a more comfortable position». On a personal level, the artist hopes that the work can function to the viewer as a mirror in which «you can look inside yourself and think about your options, your aptitudes, what you are doing in your life». (Quinn, 2019)
From the grandeur of Ibrahim Mahama’s works to the delicacy of Joan Miró’s creations, each piece on display offers a unique perspective on themes ranging from the personal to the political, the spiritual and the social. It is a unique opportunity to immerse yourself in the world of contemporary art and explore the diverse ways in which artists interpret and respond to the world around them.
Frieze Sculpture 2019 at Rockefeller Center is much more than just an exhibition; it is a testament to the power of art to inspire, provoke and transform, and a celebration of the pivotal role it plays in our society. Through June 28, visitors have the opportunity to be part of this unique experience that fuses aesthetic beauty with deep reflection, in the heart of the Big Apple.
