Jaume Plensa — Kiki Smith — Barthélémy Toguo — Lelong & Co Gallery — Exhibition — Slash Paris

Past: January 24 → March 9, 2019

The human figure, which had been somewhat overlooked in favour of triumphal abstraction, is now back with a vengeance in contemporary artistic production. Three artists of the same generation, but coming from different traditions and horizons, illustrate here their contrasting visions of the human figure.

Jaume Plensa, Sanna, 2017, 0 Aluminium et base de granit — 220 x 110 x 70 cm © Studio Plensa / Courtesy Galerie Lelong & Co.

Jaume Plensa, born in Barcelona, creates, sometimes on a very large scale and in a variety of materials (marble, alabaster, bronze or aluminium), very subtly distorted portraits of young women with their eyes closed. Two major exhibitions recently opened at the Palacio de Cristal in Madrid and the MACBA in Barcelona.

Kiki Smith, who works in New York has, for the last thirty years, been developing a singular body of work of sculptures and drawings that are largely autobiographical, and which renew the vision of the feminine and animal figure. A retrospective of her work is currently being held at the Sara Hilden Museum in Tampere, Finland. Another is scheduled for next autumn at the Monnaie de Paris.

Kiki Smith, Eclipse, 2002 Encre et gouache sur papier — 245 x 174 cm, 0 © Kiki Smith / Courtesy Galerie Lelong & Co.

Barthélémy Toguo transposes the themes of his country, Cameroon, to produce dreamlike images where humans, animals and plants combine. His last exhibition was at the Parrish Museum in Long Island (USA), then at the Africa Center of New York.

Exhibition at Galerie Lelong & Co., espace Matignon, 38 avenue Matignon, 75008 Paris