Julia

Jaume Plensa's twelve-metre sculpture called Julia arrived in Plaza de Colón in December 2018. The work by the famous sculptor, sponsored by the Fundación María Cristina Masaveu Peterson and in collaboration with the Madrid City Council - who have renewed the agreement so that this unique piece of art remains on display in Madrid until December 2027, sits on the pedestal formerly occupied by the statue of the Genoese navigator.

Made of polyester resin and white marble powder, this sculpture makes it possible for the 2013 Velázquez Arts Prize winner, Jaume Plensa, to exhibit a work of these characteristics in Spain for the first time. The choice of this artist, of renowned international career, aims to boost the development of future projects. In the words of its author, Julia aims to provoke "a moment of personal and intimate reflection within the hectic dynamism generated by public space".

Jaume Plensa, born in Barcelona in 1955, studied at Llotja and Sant Jordi School of Fine Arts. Since 1980, the year of his first exhibition in Barcelona, he has lived and worked in Germany, Belgium, England, France and the United States. He currently resides in his hometown again. Plensa is an artist of materials, sensations and ideas, and his references span literature and poetry as well as music and thought.

His installation inaugurates a novel artistic programme organised by the Madrid City Council, which consists of displaying, for one year, an artwork selected by public competition on the aforementioned pedestal in Plaza de Colón. The project counts on the patronage of the Fundación María Cristina Masaveu Peterson (FMCMP) during the first three editions.