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Marble
190 x 65 x 75cm
Acquired 2020
Martha’s World is carved from white marble and portrays the serene head of a young girl with eyes closed, emerging from a roughly hewn block at its base. The polished facial features contrast with the untouched stone, heightening the sense of calm and suspension. Installed quietly within the landscape, the work invites stillness and reflection as visitors encounter it.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Jaume Plensa
Jaume Plensa (born 1955, Barcelona) is an internationally acclaimed Spanish sculptor known for large-scale figurative works that explore silence, inner states, language, and shared humanity. His sculptures appear in major public spaces and museum collections across the world, often using the human figure as a universal form for contemplation.
Plensa works primarily with the human figure, frequently depicting elongated or contemplative heads with closed eyes, encouraging a moment of inward pause. Materials such as marble, bronze, stainless steel, alabaster, and cast-iron feature prominently in his practice, alongside large-scale installations integrating light, sound, or text.
Recurring themes include identity, memory, spirituality, and the relationship between the individual and collective. His works often draw on literature, poetry, and philosophy, and are characterised by a refined balance of weight, presence, and emotional resonance within public and natural environments.
SELECTED CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
Public commissions include Crown Fountain (2004) in Chicago’s Millennium Park, one of the most significant public artworks of the 21st century.
Solo exhibitions at major institutions including Yorkshire Sculpture Park (2011), Musée d’Art Moderne de Saint-Étienne, and Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía.
Represented Spain at the 1986 Venice Biennale and widely exhibited at international biennales throughout his career.
His works are held in leading global collections including MoMA (New York), Nasher Sculpture Center (Dallas), MACBA (Barcelona), and the Cleveland Museum of Art.
PLENSA AT MONTALTO
Acquired in 2020 and installed in situ in 2025, Martha’s World is the first Jaume Plensa sculpture to enter the Montalto collection as a significant independent acquisition.
Created in 2020, the work reflects Plensa’s ongoing exploration of introspection through the human face, using marble to evoke clarity and permanence.
Within the Montalto landscape, the sculpture offers a moment of quiet presence, aligning seamlessly with Plensa’s broader practice of creating contemplative environments where viewers feel connected to both themselves and the natural world.
FURTHER INFORMATION
