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Jaume Plensa — Alchemist
Jaume Plensa — Alchemist
Jaume Plensa — Alchemist
Jaume Plensa — Alchemist
Jaume Plensa — Alchemist
Jaume Plensa

Alchemist

2010

Jaume Plensa's Alchemist from 2010 is a monumental painted stainless steel figure composed entirely of interlocking letters, numbers, and symbols drawn from multiple world alphabets and writing systems. The translucent open structure of the crouching human form invites viewers to look through the body as a vessel of accumulated human knowledge and language. This work exemplifies Plensa's celebrated investigation into the relationship between text, identity, and the human condition, making it a commanding and intellectually rich centerpiece for any significant collection of contemporary sculpture.

Medium
Painted stainless steel
Location
MIT Stata Center, Cambridge, MA

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About this work

Jaume Plensa, Alchemist, 2010

Jaume Plensa's Alchemist from 2010 is a monumental painted stainless steel figure composed entirely of interlocking letters, numbers, and symbols drawn from multiple world alphabets and writing systems. The translucent open structure of the crouching human form invites viewers to look through the body as a vessel of accumulated human knowledge and language. This work exemplifies Plensa's celebrated investigation into the relationship between text, identity, and the human condition, making it a commanding and intellectually rich centerpiece for any significant collection of contemporary sculpture.

Medium
Painted stainless steel
Year
2010
Seen at
MIT List Visual Arts Center, Cambridge, MA

Related themes

Jaume Plensa, Figurative Sculpture, Collector Statement Piece, White Sculpture, Monumental Scale, Public Art, Perforated Metal, Monumental Figure, Open Form Sculpture, Contemporary Sculpture, Letter Forms, Text Based Art, 21st Century Art, Language And Identity, Stainless Steel, Symbolic Art, Mixed Alphabets, Spanish Artist, Abstract Figurative, White, Human Form, Museum Quality Work, Typography Art, Humanoid Form, Outdoor Sculpture

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Patty McCleary, Becky Tompkins, Kylie Cohen, Ryan, Nicholas Blum, Alex Capecelatro